Sheikh Mohammed honours winners of 21st Dubai Government Excellence Programme

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, today said that the Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP) has been a key driver for enhancing services and improving policies in Dubai Government over the past 21 years. Over the years, Dubai has set an example for service excellence for countries in the region and beyond.

"Since its launch 21 years ago, DGEP has become a synonym for excellence, accomplishment and quality," His Highness said. He also said that the DGEP has contributed to developing a culture of excellence across the GCC and the Arab region, and making Dubai a byword for service quality.

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed's remarks came as he honoured the winners of the 21st edition of DGEP at a ceremony held at the Dubai World Trade Centre. H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council and H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai were present at the award ceremony. H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chief Executive of Emirates Group; H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation; and H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also attended the awards ceremony, in addition a number of senior Dubai government officials.

Sheikh Mohammed thanked all the employees of Dubai Government and expressed his appreciation for their efforts to achieve excellence. He said more new ideas need to be generated to ensure we make another leap in service quality in the next phase of Dubai’s growth. "Those who were honoured today are our best performers, and everyone should learn from. Their success and commitment to excellence should be a source of inspiration for everyone," His Highness said. "At the same time, those who have achieved excellence still have a lot more to do, as accomplishment and excellence have no limits. It’s important that those who achieved outstanding excellence share their experiences with their colleagues.

Individual efforts and excellence need to be streamlined to achieve excellence on an organisational level," His Highness said.

Sheikh Mohammed also said that excellence is a culture in the UAE. "What we have accomplished in terms of development and progress in every sphere of life is the result of our commitment to meet the aspirations of our people."

Addressing the winners, His Highness said: "You are the pillars of our future. Your innovation and hard work and your commitment to ensure the best for your nation will have a great impact on the future of our country. The UAE and Dubai will always be pioneers in the world and will not settle for anything less than first place," Sheikh Mohammed added.

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed honoured the winners in various categories. Raghess Omar Abdulla Omar Al Ansari from Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) won the Distinguished New Employee award in the large government entities category. Fatma Darwish Hamza Albashiri from Dubai Land Department won the Distinguished New Employee award in the medium-sized government entities category.

In the Dubai Excellence Medals category, Sara Ali Al Zarooni, Distribution Occurrence Analysis Engineer from Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) received the Dubai Medal for the Best Field Employee. DEWA won a total six awards at the 21st DGEP Awards, including awards for Dubai Giving, People-of-Determination-Friendly Government Entity, Best Entity in Customer Happiness, and Best Entity in Innovative Administrative Initiative.

Dubai Municipality won the award for the Happiest Work Environment in the large government entities category, while Dubai Statistics Center won the award in the medium-sized government entities category.

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed also honoured the winners of the ‘Unknown Soldier Medal’, which included employees from RTA, Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Dubai Municipality, Dubai Courts, Department of Finance, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Department of Economic Development, Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department, Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment, Dubai Police, Dubai Civil Defence, Dubai Statistics Center, Dubai Airports and Legal Affairs Department.

Dubai Municipality and Dubai Civil Defence won the award in the category of Best Joint Government Service.

Sheikh Mohammed also honored H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum with a Special Recognition Award for the role his leadership played in the success of Dubai Airports. Dubai International Airport was ranked as the leading airport in the world with 88 million passengers in 2017. His Highness also honoured Hussain Nasser Lootah for his exceptional contributions to Dubai’s growth in more than 38 years of government service.

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