Serving people is passion of every govt staff: Sheikh Mohammed

Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE has built a generation of innovative leaders who deserve to be celebrated.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Tuesday honoured the winners of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Government Excellence Award in Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE has paved its way into the future and has built a generation of innovative leaders who deserve to be celebrated.
"The outstanding achievements we have honoured today are an example and model for the members of our government team. Every employee in our government has the energy, potential and passion to serve the nation and the community. We want to harness this energy, enhance this potential, and stimulate the passion to achieve the highest levels of outstanding performance," Sheikh Mohammed said.
"We have 10 years of achievements. We want the UAE government to be the best government in the world. We want every government ministry and government body to be the best in the world in the next phase of government excellence. This is the standard and benchmark for the performance of government agencies in the country."
The award ceremony marked the 10th anniversary of the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Programme, which was launched to encourage the country's public sector to continuously enhance its systems, performance and services.
Among those recognised at the ceremony held at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi was Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. He was awarded with the 'Mohammed Bin Rashid Scarf' for his relentless efforts in strengthening the country's relations with other nations, making the UAE's passport the most powerful in the world.
Lt-Gen Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, was honoured for taking the lead in promoting peace and security in the country, while Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and CEO and chairman of the Emirates Group, was awarded for his work in the aviation industry.
Several government departments including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, the UAE General Authority of Civil Aviation, National Media Council, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Etisalat, Ministry of Interior and others also received accolades.
Sheikh Mohammed said: "We expect the winners of the Excellence Awards to strengthen their leadership and excellence, and for our government team to intensify efforts to improve the levels of performance and efficiency. The winning authorities have a great responsibility to build on the results achieved. The entities that did not achieve the desired results need to reconsider their performance and work style."
Congratulating the awardees, he emphasised that "winning awards is an incentive for further excellence and transferring experience to the team. Excellence is not an objective but just a means to stimulate and sharpen the spirit."
"Excellence is not a race that ends with honour but a full life cycle in which the person provides the best of what he has," he added.
The award consists of 25 categories that take into account the diversity in the work of federal entities. These pioneers' performance was measured by the Government Excellence System, which tracks and evaluates the work of all government departments.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com
(With inputs from Wam)

Some individual winners of the Excellence Award
> Best Teacher in the UAE: Rashid Ali Hashim Al Taher (physical education teacher, Al Mukhtassim School, Abu Dhabi)
> Best Specialised Employee: Dr Wadda Al Hanai (senior nuclear expert, Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation)
> Distinguished Scholar: Tuka Al Hanai (researcher and PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States)
> Best Doctor: Dr Nabil Humood Al Sabeeha (dentist, Ras Al Khamah Specialised Dental Department, Ministry of Health)
> UAE Pride Medal: Hafsa Abdullah Mohammed Sharif Al Ulama (UAE's Ambassador to Brazil)
> UAE Pride Medal: Omran Sharaf (project director of Emirates Mars Mission, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre)

• Abu Dhabi