Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Dubai Government to raise the curtain on 10th Dubai Forum

Government forum gets underway 7-8 November

Dubai, 5 November 2017:   The Dubai Forum for Government Best Practices, a leading knowledge-sharing platform for government officials, will get underway Tuesday at Dubai World Trade Center. Running from 7-8 November, Dubai Forum 2017 is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and organized by the Dubai Government Excellence Program, a standards-setting division in The General Secretariat of Dubai.

Ahead of the forum, H.E. Abdullah Mohammed Al Basti, Secretary-General of The Executive Council of Dubai, said: “The Dubai Government Excellence Program was established to elevate the performance of the government of Dubai by drawing on international best practices. At the center of that effort is the Dubai Forum for Government Best Practices. For 10 years it has driven continuous improvement, helping thousands of Dubai government employees to sustain effective, organizational and personal excellence every day.”

Established in 2007 to foster excellence and innovation among Dubai government entities, the 10th edition of the Dubai Forum for Government Best Practices is organized under the theme, “An inspiring government shapes the future and achieves happiness.” 

H.E. Al Basti continued: “In its long tradition, the Dubai Forum has advanced the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to encourage the relentless pursuit of creativity and innovation in government work, and to move with confidence and strength toward the future with best practices and working methods. These are the building blocks of greatness, and the path to achieving the goals of the Government of Dubai."

The forum will host 10 keynote sessions and a roster of interactive sessions with leading government entities that demonstrate what can be achieved in government work when individuals are inspired to realize their highest ambitions. Through back-to-back inspiration sessions, attendees will explore new ways to adapt best practices and embrace concepts of continuous improvement.

Some of the most influential policy makers from around the world will deliver keynotes across the two-day forum: H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, the main sponsor of the event; H.E. Idris Jala, Former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department of Malaysia and CEO of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) who be speaking speak on inspirational success stories; H.E. Dr. Abdulazziz Turkistani, former Saudi ambassador to Japan will host a keynote session revolving around inspiration; Dimitri Kerkentzes, Deputy Secretary General of the Bureau of International des Expositions (BIE) will highlight the importance of EXPO 2020 as a focal point for the future; H.E. Ohood Al Roumi, Minister of State of Happiness of the UAE will host a keynote session discussing how an inspirational government shapes the future and achieves happiness ; and Lt. General H.E. Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Head of Security of Dubai will host a keynote session on inspirational leadership in the United Arab Emirates; and Dr. Ahmed Nusseirat, General Coordinator of the Dubai Government Excellence Program.

Each of their hour-long sessions will demonstrate the impact of inspiration in a range of fields, from delivering an international project to achieving operational excellence. 

In a first for the forum, it will also include a competition, Dubai Innovates. Only open to government officials, Dubai Innovates aims to enable government entities to share innovative ideas and offer solutions to an important challenge in Dubai. The question they must answer is: "How can we make Expo 2020 the most exciting event in the world?"

Attendees will also hear from those in the private sector who have embraced the concept of inspiration to accomplish their greatest goals. Dr. Naif Al Mutawa, an award-winning serial entrepreneur and clinical psychologist, will speak on the importance of inspiring the youth of the United Arab Emirates and Dr. Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist and CEO of Lab of Misfits Studio in the United Kingdom, will instruct his audience on how to achieve inspiration through an elevated state of cognition.

Commenting on the Dr. Ahmed Nusseirat said: “We have every indication that this year’s forum will be a success, given all of the expertise that we have accumulated over the years and the caliber of speakers at this year’s event. We anticipate that this event will be a success and draw unparalleled attendance, especially given the interest of the UAE’s leadership in the event and in witnessing the participation of prominent figures in the fields of government work and innovation.” 

Dr. Nusseirat added that the 10th edition of the Dubai Forum has one goal: to inspire attendees to embrace a culture of excellence and promote innovation and work. Under the theme, ‘an inspiring government shapes the future and achieves happiness’, Dubai Forum 2017 will deliver a program of events that not only facilitates the exchange of information, but also celebrates those who have identified their greatest aspirations and achieved their goals.

Dr. Nusseirat continued: “The Government of Dubai is inspirational in its own right. It has been able to achieve satisfaction and happiness among people for years, going beyond excellence to achieve creativity and innovation in government work. This is the result of a government that encourages employees to unleash their creative potential and turn their ideas into pioneering initiatives that further government action and expedite processes at less cost, effort and time. It is for this generation of creative and innovative employees that the Dubai Forum exists.”

Rich dialogue sessions and forums
The second day of the forum will witness a series of events, including a session held by one of the winners of the Arab Hope Maker prize Mr. Hisham Al-Dhahabi who will speak on building hope through struggle.

The second day of the Dubai Forum will also include a series of parallel sessions and lectures led by government entities. Each entity earned recognition in the Dubai Government Excellence Program Awards and is sharing their success and lessons learned with a select audience.