In the presence of the President of the State, Mohammed bin Rashid meets with former and current ministers who participated with His Highness in the process of government work during the past two decades.

In the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, “may God protect him,” His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, “may God protect him,” met with current and former ministers who participated with His Highness in the process of government work during the past two decades within the previous government teams, during the UAE government’s celebration on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of His Highness assuming the presidency of the government on January 5.

On this occasion, His Highness the President of the State congratulated his brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, wishing His Highness good health and wellness to continue giving, the path of achievements, and achieving a better future for the people of the Emirates.

His Highness said that the UAE government, under the exceptional leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has presented an inspiring development model that puts people at the top of its priorities, according to an ambitious vision that keeps pace with the aspirations of the UAE people for the future, in addition to enhancing the country’s position and global competitiveness.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum stressed that the UAE, under the leadership and vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, “may God protect him,” has achieved exceptional results and, under his leadership, has become a global country, and has been able in record time to transform from regional leadership to global influence by establishing a unique development model in quality of life, human empowerment, building a strong and sustainable economy, and enhancing government efficiency.

His Highness said: Today we have completed 20 years since we assumed the presidency of the Council of Ministers, 20 years with a dedicated work team, and a work team that has achieved a lot for the UAE. Twenty years in the life of states and homelands is not a long period, but the UAE has chosen to make it great in terms of the size of its achievements, and has set itself the goal of being at the forefront in the development race, to ensure a decent and stable life for the citizen and elevation, progress and prosperity for the homeland. Today, thank God, we are in first place in several fields, and the UAE has become a world in a country.

His Highness continued: I thank my brother Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, who has been with me for twenty years from the first day, and follows up on every big and small thing, and I thank my brother Sheikh Saif bin Zayed in the Interior, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in foreign policy, and today also with us is Hamdan bin Mohammed in defence, Maktoum bin Mohammed in finance, and a distinguished work team.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum addressed His Excellency the Ministers: A greeting of loyalty, thanks and appreciation to everyone who participated in the twenty-year journey with us. With the efforts of each of you ministers, big ideas have turned into a reality that every citizen and resident can touch.

His Highness said: The people of the Emirates love first place, and the President of the State wants his people to be in first place, and wants the best life for them, and we in the government want it to be the best government, and our people deserve goodness. The past twenty years have passed quickly, and the coming ones will pass as well, but each one must leave a mark, an imprint for the nation that time cannot erase.

His Highness addressed his work team: I am optimistic, and I tell you that the next twenty years are good years, years of glory and elevation, and the years when the whole world will see the Emirates as the best place to live, work, invest and tourism in the world, and the next is even better, God willing.

The ministers expressed their pride and pride in having been part of this blessed government process, and working under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who was always close to his team, motivating and supportive, instilling in them the spirit of optimism and working in the spirit of one team, stressing that the achievements that we celebrate today are the result of his leadership approach based on anticipating the future and formulating innovative policies that made the UAE government a global model of efficiency and leadership.

The ministers stressed that His Highness’s wisdom and strategic vision were always the compass that guided the course of action, and everyone learned from His Highness’s leadership thought to transform ambitions into achievements and ideas into realistic projects, so that government work under His Highness’s leadership over the past 20 years would be a strong contributor to making major shifts in various sectors.

The celebration was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister, Chief of the Presidential Cabinet, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Al Dhafra Region, His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office for Special Affairs, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Advisor to His Highness the President of the State, and a number of ministers and senior state officials.

The meeting touched on the journey of achievements over the past twenty years since His Highness assumed the presidency of the government on January 5, as the process of government work under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, over the period extending from 2006 to 2025, witnessed exceptional achievements and successes that established an inspiring development model in accelerating and doubling the growth and development of various social, economic and scientific sectors.

Since His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum assumed the presidency of the UAE government on January 5, 2006 and over a period of 20 years, 72 ministers have worked with His Highness, who were appointed through 9 ministerial formations and 13 ministerial reshuffles, and the Council issued nearly 16,000 decisions through 558 meetings.

During this period, the UAE government, headed by His Highness, held 7 ministerial retreats and 16 extraordinary meetings, which represented strategic thinking platforms that brought together ministers and senior officials in a flexible work environment far from the daily routine, with the aim of discussing major national issues and formulating innovative solutions to future challenges.

Over the past two decades, the UAE government has witnessed an integrated governmental transformation process, through which it established an advanced global model in government work, based on innovation, anticipating the future, and achieving community well-being. The government has succeeded in launching a wide system of qualitative initiatives, policies, strategies, and programs that have contributed to developing government performance, enhancing competitiveness, and achieving sustainable development goals.

This process included developing the first comprehensive strategies for government work, developing national government leadership systems, launching government excellence programs, adopting advanced systems for measuring and monitoring performance, and programs to monitor and raise the performance of international competitiveness indicators, in addition to launching long-term national visions, most notably the UAE Vision 2021, the UAE Centennial 2071, and the We Are the UAE Agenda 2031, which reflects a proactive approach in planning for the future. The government has also established a culture of innovation by establishing innovation centers and government accelerators, and launching initiatives. Cognitive and youth-oriented, it enhanced community participation and empowered youth for the future.

In the field of legislation and policies, and under the directives of the wise leadership, the UAE government has completed modernizing more than 90% of its legislative system, to keep pace with accelerating global and technological changes. It has launched a smart legislative system based on artificial intelligence, in addition to a unified digital platform for federal and local legislation. The government has also adopted hundreds of national policies and strategies that have supported the growth of vital sectors and raised the quality of life.

In terms of government services, the UAE has continued to consolidate its global leadership by launching programs to develop and measure services, to eliminate government bureaucracy, and to adopt artificial intelligence as a basic pillar of government work in various sectors, in addition to strengthening its international presence by signing hundreds of agreements and memorandums of understanding, most notably the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements, in a way that supports the country’s position as a reliable international partner and maker of the future.