الشارقة 24 – وام:
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the UAE government will host an awards ceremony on Thursday, November 5, to honour government entities and leaders who have excelled in the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award for the evaluation cycle of 2026. The event will be attended by several Sheikhs, ministers, senior officials, and government leaders.
The award ceremony embodies His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision of establishing a culture of excellence as a sustainable approach to developing government work. It aims to motivate governmental entities to adopt more efficient, innovative, and proactive work models, enhancing their readiness for the future and contributing to the UAE’s journey towards global leadership in government performance.
A National Platform for Recognising Government Achievements
The Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award represents a cornerstone of the government excellence system in the UAE. It serves as a national platform to recognise outstanding government achievements and the leadership that contributes to performance improvement, enhances coordination between entities, raises the quality of government services, and achieves measurable results that positively impact the community and the quality of life for its individuals.
His Excellency Mohamed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, stated that the UAE, guided by its wise leadership, has made excellence a fundamental principle of government work. This commitment acts as a driving force for continuous development, competitiveness, and leadership, founded on the belief that excellence is an ongoing journey that transcends individual achievements.
An Identity for Government Work in the UAE
He remarked, “For over three decades, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has entrenched excellence as an identity in the UAE’s government work, establishing a global model for government performance development based on innovation, flexibility, proactivity, and future foresight, with a focus on people as the core of development and the main objective of government work.”
The 2026 evaluation cycle of the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award has introduced new categories that reflect the UAE government’s direction towards accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence applications, enhancing proactivity and preparedness for the future, and reinforcing a culture of development and innovation in government work.
Newly introduced categories include two subcategories: Best Entity in Artificial Intelligence Applications and Best Entity in Proactivity and Future Readiness, along with new awards within the Prime Minister’s Awards for Best Chief Executive in Artificial Intelligence and Best Chief Executive in Future Readiness.
Driving Significant Transformations in Performance and Services
These new categories aim to motivate entities and government leaders to transition from merely adopting modern technologies to utilising them for significant transformations in performance, services, and government processes, while developing proactive solutions that enhance efficiency and productivity and improve readiness for future changes.
This addition reflects the continuous development of the government excellence framework in the UAE and its commitment to keeping pace with global changes, directing the efforts of government entities towards strategically important areas that help in building a smarter, more flexible, and future-ready government.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award for the evaluation cycle of 2026 comprises ten main and sub-criteria as well as 13 Prime Minister awards, showcasing the inclusiveness and diversity of the government excellence system while also honouring both institutional and individual achievements that contribute to the advancement of government work.
Three Main Categories and Seven Subcategories
The institutional awards consist of three main categories: the Leading Federal Entity in Sustaining Excellence, the Leading Federal Entity, and the Best Entity in Performance Improvement.
The subcategories are distributed among seven areas: Best Entity Contributing to the Leadership and Competitiveness of the UAE, Best Entity in Adopting Innovative Solutions, Best Entity in Distinctive Value, Best Entity in Developing Legislation and Regulations, Best Entity in Partnership and Integration, Best Entity in Artificial Intelligence Applications, and Best Entity in Proactivity and Future Readiness.
The Prime Minister’s Awards celebrate distinguished government leaders and talents across 13 categories, including Best Ambassador, Best Undersecretary/Director General, Best Assistant Undersecretary/Executive Director, Best Department Director, Best Chief Executive in Artificial Intelligence, Best Employee in Future Roles, Best Specialist Employee, Best School Principal, Best Teacher, Best Doctor, Best Government Communication Director, Best Customer Happiness Employee, and Best Young Employee.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Ribbon
The special recognition categories encompass three areas: the Mohammed bin Rashid Ribbon, awarded to UAE citizens who have made significant contributions to the establishment and service of the state or provided distinguished service to the nation; Emirates Pride Medals, awarded to UAE citizens with notable contributions to community service and humanity, or those who achieve extraordinary individual accomplishments; and the special recognition category for projects.
The evaluation process for the 2026 Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award adopts a comprehensive methodology focused on enhancing integration among entities, achieving leadership and competitiveness, measuring real results and impact of government performance, as well as assessing institutional capabilities in innovation, proactivity, and future readiness.
30 Federal Government Entities Evaluated
The evaluation processes included 30 federal government entities participating in both main and sub-institutional categories, while 57 leaders and 236 government employees were nominated for the Prime Minister’s Awards. This process saw participation from over 130 Emirati and international experts and evaluators.
The evaluation adhered to the “Proactive Performance System” launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and incorporated a comprehensive 360-degree assessment methodology that evaluates performance and outcomes from the perspectives of the government, community, stakeholders, and employees, providing a complete assessment of institutional and individual excellence levels and their contributions towards achieving government priorities.
Government Entities’ Ability to Achieve Quality Results
The evaluation processes emphasised the ability of government entities to achieve qualitative and sustainable results, adopt artificial intelligence applications and innovative solutions, enhance government integration, and improve operational efficiency and service quality. Additionally, they assessed readiness to preempt future challenges and handle changes with agility and efficiency.
This approach reflects the evolution of the government excellence framework in the UAE, transitioning from a focus on performance measurement to evaluating results and impact, thus reinforcing a culture of achievement and continuous improvement, and supporting the development of government models capable of delivering added value to society.