'An extraordinary leader must be a visionary'

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday attended the official inaugural session of three-day long 2nd Government Summit, held in Jumeirah City in Dubai.

The event was attended by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC), Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, Sheikh Majed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Lt. General Musbeh bin Rashid Al Fattan, Director of the Office of Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, a number of sheikhs, senior officials, over 4,000 academic and media experts, Emirati and foreign decision makers and students.

Sheikh Saif spoke at the session on a number of issues regarding the smart government services and economic crisis, and how the UAE overcame it. He noted that the foreign investments in the UAE increased to 40 per cent from 2012-2013, while a number of travellers through UAE airports surged by 113 per cent.

He said there were no cases of organised crime  in the country. On 'Extraordinary Leader" and how to become one, Sheikh Saif said, "The extraordinary leader should be resolved, determined, and ready to launch initiatives. He/she should be clear and precise in his orders and directives. The extraordinary leader must be a visionary, honest and loving father, a social participant and instills loyalty and love regarding belonging to the nation, leadership and community."

Sheikh Saif referred in this regard to the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and how the current leadership has been following the course to provide decent living conditions for citizens.

He noted that the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, are extraordinary leaders who learnt from the school of Sheikh Zayed and his legacy.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid toured the workshops  on government work in Jumeirah city, where he attended the lectures and discussions. The workshops are attended by an elite of Emirati youth and world decision makers and experts. He also visited the media centre, where he met a number of media personalities, Arab and foreign writers. He discussed with them the objectives and message of Government Summit to the world. 

Mohammed receives WEF founder

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Tuesday morning received on the sidelines on Government Summit, Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum (Davos).

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai were present.

Prof. Schwab thanked Sheikh Mohammed on the UAE's hosting of World Government Summit, a world platform for exchanging views and experiences among the participants in order to develop and update the government services and management at the regional and international levels.

He commended the level of organisation, reception and hospitality, as well as the level of participants in the summit, a describing the forum as a genuine platform for exchanging experiences, of which one is the UAE's experience.

Among others present also were Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Speaker of Federal National Council (FNC), Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Mohammed Abdullah Al Gargawi, Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Director General of the Department of Protocol and Hospitality in Dubai and accompanying delegation to the guest. 

Mohammed receives Mayor of Barcelona

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, received on Monday on the sidelines of the Government Summit in Jumeirah, the Mayor of Barcelona Xavier Trias.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai attended the meeting.

Sheikh Mohammed and Trias exchanged views on the agenda of the summit and ways of opening up channels of tourism, cultural and sports communication cooperation between Dubai and Barcelona.

Mayor of Barcelona hailed the amazing development being witnessed by Dubai in all fields, calling it the "Cosmopolitan City".

He also pointed out the importance of the Government Summit and its regional and international role in exchanging expertise and thoughts. 

Among those who attended the meeting were Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Speaker of Federal National Council (FNC), Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gargawi, Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Director- General of the Department of Protocol and Hospitality in Dubai and the accompanying delegation of the guest.

It's time for third generation of government: WEF founder

Governments today face challenges and opportunities like never before, Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Switzerland, said in his keynote address at the second UAE Government Summit being held in Dubai over three days from February 10-12, 2014.

Today, governments the world are Government 2.0, which use technology to interact with citizens. The future is about entrepreneurs in public service, or Government 3.0, he said, which will let citizens collaborate with governments.

"Government 3.0 is the next form of government," he said. It’s like YouTube or Apple’s iPad platform, he said. "YouTube is already Government 3.0 – because you provide content," he noted. "Just like the iPad platform of Apple, the Government 3.0 will provide the framework, and citizens will put the applications that they need and want," he noted.

In his address during the first day of the UAE Government Summit in Dubai on Monday, Schwab talked about four forms of governance. He noted that there’s a kind of governance not only to deliver services, but to interact with citizens.

"Here you have a new relationship between governments and citizens, interactive relationships – relationships where citizens can engage, make proposals, criticize and so on," he said.

That’s the future of government that Schwab sees. He said a new relationship between governments and citizens has emerged with the onset of new technologies, resulting in government being able to provide the best services for the future.

"But what we are seeing is already the next form of governance, which I will call governance 3.0, where people are co-owners co shapers and are really engaged in working together with governments to provide the best services for the future," he said.

Schwab said there are three main driving forces that can be taken into account if you look at governments of the future. "First is big data, which should be a great revolution, which means that we can capture not only what’s happening. We can capture the profile of citizens, which means that as a government, we can much more individualise our services," he said.

He said that big data "will certainly be one of the driving factors of and one of the tools governments can use to improve its service and to individualize its service."  The next driving factor is public-private cooperation, he said.

"We know today that the challenges we face cannot be solved by governments alone. They cannot be solved by business alone or by civil society alone. What we need is multi-stakeholder cooperation to shape our future."

According to Schwab, there are a number of challenges that governments face in transforming into Government 3.0. "We are witnessing technological change as we have never seen before," he said. "Take all scientists, engineers who’ve ever lived on the face of the Earth – half of them are still alive." That’s the kind of technological advances we’re witnessing as of now.

The second challenge is not just about how to deal with technological development, but also its complexity. "Think Japan – Fukushima. First there was tsunami, which led to the collapse of the energy system, then a breakdown of the industrial system as supply chains were disturbed. We need governments to master those complex systems which underline everything we do in society," he said.

What we need from government is innovation, which is key, he noted.  There are three things that should we expect from the government of tomorrow, he said.

First, governments need to be role models in adapting new technologies. Governments should not wait to see what others are doing. They must master new technologies and adapt new technologies in a faster way.

Second, he said, governments should be the role models in working together with all the stakeholders, especially in public-private partnerships. Through public private co-operations, governments offer faster and better technological progress.

Finally, Schwab says governments can succeed by placing the necessary emphasis on education - the key to developing the talents of tomorrow. "Going forward, education will change completely. What we need is lifelong education, education for creativity, education for innovation, minds that are entrepreneurial," he said.

In summary, Schwab maintained that while "Government 1.0 was bureaucratic. Today, Government 2.0 is public service. In the future, we will have Government 3.0, which is entrepreneurship in public service. And that is what we should have."

 

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