Dubai Municipality becomes the first municipality in the world to receive international accreditation as the best government entity in innovation leadership

• The achievement reflects the maturity of the Municipality’s integrated innovation ecosystem and its leadership in adopting global best practices in government innovation management.
• The Level 4 accreditation was awarded in recognition of the Municipality’s excellence in aligning its innovation strategy with future foresight and strengthening open partnerships.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 13 March 2026: In a new milestone that reinforces Dubai’s position as a global centre for innovation, Dubai Municipality has received international accreditation from the Global Innovation Management Institute (GIMI) as the best innovative government entity in innovation leadership at Level 4 — the highest level within this category. With this achievement, Dubai Municipality becomes the first municipality in the world to attain this advanced level, underscoring the leadership and maturity of its integrated government innovation ecosystem embedded across its institutional framework.

This international accreditation reflects the significant progress made by Dubai Municipality in building a comprehensive and sustainable innovation ecosystem that adopts leading global practices in government innovation management and helps shape the future of municipal work. These efforts contribute to enhancing quality of life and further strengthening Dubai’s position as a global destination for living, working, and investment.

The global assessment was based on a range of pioneering initiatives and innovations that demonstrated the advanced maturity of institutional innovation within the Municipality. Its efforts stood out in aligning knowledge and innovation strategies with institutional priorities and digital transformation, as well as linking innovation with future foresight by analysing drivers of change and leveraging advanced technologies to strengthen future readiness. This was complemented by stronger governance frameworks, the development of an enabling regulatory environment for innovation, and the integration of the innovation lifecycle through a holistic methodology that ensures sustainability and enhances institutional value.

Eng. Nasser BuShehab, CEO of the Planning and Governance Sector at Dubai Municipality, said: “We are proud of this global accreditation, which reflects a deeply rooted institutional culture that views innovation as a continuous journey rather than a final destination. It also reflects the efforts of highly qualified teams that have transformed challenges into opportunities and demonstrated that governance and institutional innovation at Dubai Municipality are key drivers of quality of life across the emirate. This achievement crowns our efforts to build a comprehensive and sustainable innovation ecosystem that strengthens Dubai’s leadership as a global capital of innovation and a laboratory for ideas and future foresight.”

Dubai Municipality’s leadership has also been demonstrated through strengthening open partnerships and building an effective innovation network with the private sector to develop proactive solutions. The Municipality has implemented hackathons and innovation labs to generate smart solutions and innovative business models that address institutional challenges and opportunities. It has also introduced certifications and training programmes aimed at upskilling human capital and equipping employees with advanced innovation capabilities.

Reaffirming its commitment to embedding a culture of experimentation and learning, the Municipality has created a safe environment for innovative initiatives and projects while adopting advanced performance indicators to measure the return on innovation and ensure its sustainability and operational efficiency.