Govt. Summit called for sustainable development model

Dubai, Feb 13, 2013 (WAM)- The Government Summit, the first of its kind regional initiative in Dubai, called for a 'sustainable and inclusive' development model for the Gulf countries, with international speakers commending the UAE for its success in fostering human resources development as a key priority. Addressing an audience of over 2,500 regional and international delegates, Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said that evaluating the performance of the region's educational system against other competitive economies, and acting upon the needs of the younger generation will determine long-term economic success. Mr. Brown said that the key priorities in development must be centred on not only investing in education but also measuring its output and performance, as well as a focus on innovation and technological expertise, and ensuring that the opportunities are widely spread. Underlining the need to further strengthen the educational sector, he said: "It is important to tap the potential of every child and this can be achieved only by providing the best basic general education to all." Lauding the successful strategy of the UAE outlined in its Vision 2021 to become one of the best nations in the world, Brown said that the key development challenge for the region is to identify "how we can more effectively deliver government services in the way the public wants, by personalising the services and assuring individual satisfaction." Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State, said the UAE's Vision 2021 serves as a roadmap in defining the priorities of the government to promote development with a focus on overall societal welfare. "At the heart of all our development endeavours are our people. We regularly review our performance to ensure that we consistently make progress." Highlighting the success achieved in women empowerment and gender equality, Al Hashimy said that compared to less than 5% women representing the UAE workforce in 1975, today, it is over 40%, while the governmental sector workforce has a women representation of over 65%. "This is the result of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President '&' Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, who has focused on the importance of women to be part of the decision-making process," she said. Mr. Yves Leterme, Deputy Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation '&' Development (OECD), said that debates on development must shift from mere measurement of GDP to a number of other parameters including healthcare, education, gender equality and governance, among others. "Sustainable development is also about social cohesion, investing in research and development, and creating a model of growth that contributes to the happiness of the people." Ms. Jennifer Blanke, Lead Economist and Senior Director and Head of the Global Competitiveness Network, World Economic Forum, underlined the fundamental concepts of economic competitiveness that includes not only fundamental aspects such as healthcare, education and technology readiness but also a focus on innovation and business sophistication. Explaining that the government has a role to play in driving all these pillars, she said that a multi-stakeholder approach is imperative in the education sector, linking business to universities so that the educational sector reflects the needs of the economy, and reiterated the need to strengthen a culture of entrepreneurship, which will drive demand for innovation. The session was moderated by Abdullah Lootah, Secretary General of Emirates Competitiveness Council, who highlighted the role of The Government Summit to work towards constant improvement in providing government services. The session explored the definition of development and the role of government in achieving its development objectives. Later, at a special address by Leterme, he lauded the achievements of the UAE, adding that the tremendous progress achieved by the country also has major influence on public service delivery. He said that governments across the Middle East region are feeling the pressure of the global financial challenges, which could lead to the importance of public services being overlooked. "The fact is that public institutions and public service matter more than ever in the current situation." He said that the responsibility of the governments cannot be delegated to anybody else, and that innovation and knowledge sharing are crucial for efficient public service delivery. "The policies must be constantly monitored for better results, with the key consideration that they are tailored to address the needs of the people. The UAE is at the forefront in this, with its clear forward-looking plan and having adopted a multi-year strategy with the nation's Vision 2021." A special plenary session on the experience of Dubai and Abu Dhabi in providing government services was also held on the opening day. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads and Transport Authority and Member of the Dubai Executive Council, said that leadership plays a key role in achieving growth targets. "Dubai is constantly investing in its infrastructure, and the flexible approach to planning has helped the city grow. Significantly, our development plans do not compromise on the UAE's national identity." Falah Al Ahbabi, General Manager, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, observed that progress can be achieved only through strong government institutions, economic diversity and a focus on sustainability. He said that Abu Dhabi is looking forward to becoming a sustainable global city that can compete with any global city. "We are keen to share our experiences with the developed and developing countries," he added. Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, UAE Minister of Labour, shared the UAE's experience in partnering with the private sector for effective government service delivery, at a dialogue session. He highlighted the role of Tas-heel service centres, and the standards adopted by the Ministry to further improve its quality and accessibility by working with the private sector, thus optimising operational efficiencies, and enabling the government to focus on policy making and regulatory frameworks. In an interactive session on social media as a tool for citizen engagement, Tareq Lootah, Executive President, Dubai School of Government, said the development of social media platforms has encouraged governments to keep up with the change. He shared the experience of the UAE government in developing social media strategies to offer exceptional services for the public. He said that a recent survey by the Dubai School of Government revealed that government officials and employees are willing to communicate electronically while some customers are a little cautious. The study also found that most government offices are electronically ready and are now integrating their e-services. He added that government bodies must understand the nature of its customers and deploy a communications channel that best suits their requirements. Chris Vein, Chief Innovation Officer for Technology Development, World Bank, said that people can take part in the problem-solving process, which need not be the sole responsibility of the government. He called upon government officials to figure out the best ways to leverage social media tools to engage further with the citizens and find solutions to their problems. Andrea Di Maio, Vice President, Gartner Group, Italy, added that governments can draw a lot of value from social media, especially in policy making, and as a means to solve problems that cannot otherwise be addressed through other communications channels Addressing another session, Dr. Adrianna Alberti, Coordinator, Innovation in Public Governance Programme Senior Governance and Public Administration Officer, Division for Public Administration and Development Management at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, observed that the enablers of innovation to improve government services are leadership commitment, shared values, a coherent response to the challenges faced by the society and creating an institutional framework. Dr. Gowher Rizvi, Cabinet Minister and Advisor to the Prime Minister - Former Director of the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Bangladesh, a culture of innovation must be promoted with a focus on improving the lives of the citizens, while also being significant and replicable. George Kadifa, Executive VP, HP Software, said there is a strong element of the individual in innovation, highlighting the need to approach innovation not as a stand-alone practice, but from a holistic perspective where collective efforts by the government to overhaul services lead to total improvement and transformation. A single practice of innovation, on other hand, tends to restrict itself to one small area than the entire government service. At a session on building a service culture in the government sector, Grant Tidswell, Deputy Secretary, Service Delivery Operations, Dept of Human Services, Australia, said that it was important to go beyond rules and regulations to deliver excellent services, with emphasis to be placed on improvising and learning from best practices in other parts of the world. Guy Gordon, Executive Director, Institute for Citizen-centric Services, Canada, observed that while the public sector has a broader perspective of understanding customer expectations, it must learn from the private sector which gives closer attention to individual expectations. He stressed the need to professionalise service delivery with public sector staff taking on the role of service professionals. Soulaimah Gourani, Chief Executive Officer, Soulaima Gourani, Denmark, also underlined the need for public sector staff to be sensitive to the needs of the customers, and have strong emotional intelligence than only higher IQ levels, so they can build lasting relationships. Gerald Lawless, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Jumeirah Group, said the Group meets customer expectations through training programmes, practicing hallmarks and empowering staff even at the junior level. In a presentation on delivering quality public services, Rolf Alter, Director, Public Governance and Territorial Development at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, said that a strategic vision is a starting point but it needs effective implementation across and beyond the central government. He said that the performance of institutions depends on leadership from the centre, as well as human resources and organisation capacities. The Government Summit hosted regional and international speakers, including representatives of the United Nations, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, among others. The agenda of the Summit covers all aspects of government services, and includes a detailed discussion on the UAE's model in developing government services covering Abu Dhabi and Dubai's experiences in government service provision. - Emirates News Agency, WAM