Abu Dhabi Judicial Department releases its first five-year strategic plan

Abu Dhabi, Aug 3, 2008 (WAM) - The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department has
released its five-year strategic plan spanning 2008-2013. The plan reflects the vision of President HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which sees justice as the ultimate goal of good governance, the source of safety and the essence of development.

The plan is also in accordance with the direction of HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and under the personal follow-up of HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.

"This Strategic Plan reflects the ideas and direction of the Chairman HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in charting a course for developing a modern and efficient judicial system," Sultan Saeed Al Badi, Abu Dhabi Judicial Department Undersecretary, said in a comment on the plan.

"As clearly outlined in the strategic plan, the mission of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department is to safeguard the rule of law by ensuring justice, freedom and peace in society. The department's vision, which describes its future model state, is to be an efficient and independent judicial system based on excellence that provides world-class judicial services. This vision is based on the department's values of maintaining judicial independence, fairness and integrity, customer service, commitment to excellence and teamwork," he added.

He pointed out that the strategic plan reinforces those values through the plan's objective, which include: access to justice; fair and accomplished judicial system that provides effective and innovative judicial services; public trust and confidence; highly qualified workforce and motivating work environment; and transparency and accountability.

Each objective includes clear aim to support it. For example, the objective of increasing access to justice includes providing legal assistance to those in need, supporting alternative means to settle lawsuits, offering electronic services to for greater convenience, strengthening judicial services and facilities across the emirate, and extending working hours to meet the public needs.

The new strategic plan underscores the department's commitment to
excellence, and in this regard, Al Badi noted that, "excellence shall be the criteria and principle upon which all services rely". He said the department will deploy all efforts to keep on implementing the optimal practices in governance, adjudication and administration, including adopting the latest information technology systems. "We will also strive to provide high-quality services as quickly as possible and meet the needs of all entities," he added.

The plan was developed through a series of leadership workshops, judiciary conferences, focus groups and international best practice study tours. The implementation of the plan, through the development of unit-level operational action plans, is currently being facilitated through a strategic management working group. This intradepartmental working group consists of senior level planners and managers from the major units within the Judicial Department.

"While the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department is currently involved in many
transformation initiatives, the Strategic Plan is a critical component in ensuring a structured approach for managing these development efforts," Al Badi explained.

Yousef Saeed Al Ibri, Abu Dhabi Attorney General, said the strategic plan was developed after extensive studies and workshops, and after reviewing international best practices. "This plan will further enhance the Abu Dhabi's judicial system to contribute to security, safety and justice," he added. The plan will be updated every five years in adherence with the socioeconomic development of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.