The World Government Summit launches the ninth edition of the World’s Best Minister Award, the World Most Improved Government Award, and the third edition of the Global Ministerial Survey

Abu Dhabi, 17 January / WAM / The World Government Summit 2026, in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers Middle East (PWC), launched the ninth session of the World’s Best Minister Award, and the third edition of the Global Survey of Ministers. The Summit also announced the launch of the World Government Award for the Most Advanced Government, the first of its kind in the world, in partnership with Ernst & Young (EY), as part of the Summit’s initiatives that aim to anticipate the governments of the future and celebrate models. Creative in government work, who was able to develop creative solutions to meet challenges in a way that supports building more sustainable societies.

In the presence of His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the World Government Summit, Her Excellency Ohoud bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future and Vice President of the World Government Summit Foundation, and Hani Ashkar, the senior partner at PwC in the Middle East, signed a cooperation agreement to organize the ninth session of the World’s Best Minister Award. Her Excellency Ohoud Al Roumi and Firas Qassous, Partner at Ernst & Young (EY) – Clients and Industries Sector, also signed a cooperation agreement to launch the World Most Advanced Government Award, His Excellency Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Vice President of the World Government Summit Foundation, and Hani Ashkar, also signed a cooperation agreement to launch the third edition of the Global Survey of Ministers.

The World’s Best Minister Award celebrates the outstanding achievements made by ministers in facing challenges by adopting digital solutions and advanced technology to provide distinguished government services and national strategies that anticipate future challenges.

The World’s Best Minister Award focuses on successful and scalable projects and initiatives that have proven their positive impact on societies by achieving high levels of flexibility, readiness, innovation, and anticipating the future, in addition to commitment to good governance and transparency.

The award highlights the exceptional efforts made by ministers around the world to enhance excellence in the government sector within their countries, and to implement successful, sustainable and developable initiatives that contribute to the social and economic advancement of their citizens. The award also celebrates the efforts made by nominated ministers to inspire other officials and service providers to promote innovation and increase knowledge.

The Global Most Improved Government Award honors governments that have achieved radical and measurable reforms in their structures, operations and policies, reforms that have contributed to achieving tangible economic value, consolidating the principles of transparency, and building citizens’ confidence.

The award aims to enhance excellence in governance, transparency, and quality of service delivery in a way that contributes to raising the efficiency of institutional performance and enhancing accountability, and honoring transformational innovations that are evidence-based, scalable, and data-driven, and that achieve measurable public value, in addition to encouraging continuous improvement and knowledge exchange to ensure the sustainability of reform momentum across government agencies, and evaluating and honoring reforms based on efficiency, ability to respond to challenges, and tangible and measurable social impact.

The World Government Award is considered the most advanced within the World Government Summit and the first of its kind in the world, as it brings together within one comprehensive framework all the main dimensions of excellence in the public sector, including: transparency and accountability, governance, self-development, digital transformation, citizen-centered innovation, and contribution to the integrated system.

The Global Ministers Survey aims to survey the opinions of ministers from around the world on a number of the most pressing international issues. It works to enhance cooperation between countries and open channels of communication between ministers from different countries of the world to discuss global developments and work to find more effective solutions to international challenges. The results of the survey help determine development priorities, which can be used in formulating public policies.

Her Excellency Ohoud bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future and Vice President of the World Government Summit Foundation, said: “The Best Minister in the World Award honors government leaders who have achieved qualitative achievements and contributed to raising the efficiency of public services and enhancing the sustainability of government policies. The award reflects the Summit’s efforts to highlight successful experiences, disseminate best practices, and enable governments to adopt innovative business models that contribute to improving the quality of life of communities.”

Her Excellency indicated that the World Government Summit seeks, through these initiatives, to build effective bridges of cooperation between governments around the world, and to stimulate more government excellence, in a way that enhances readiness for the future, and supports the achievement of comprehensive and sustainable development that meets the aspirations of peoples and keeps pace with global changes.

In turn, His Excellency Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications and Vice President of the World Government Summit Foundation, said: “The global survey of ministers embodies the commitment of the World Government Summit to enhance the exchange of experiences at the international level on the most prominent priority issues, which contributes to developing practical and sustainable solutions to common global challenges, and enhancing the readiness of governments to deal with the rapid transformations that the world is witnessing in various sectors.”

He added: The Global Survey of Ministers represents an advanced knowledge platform that contributes to monitoring trends in government work globally, and anticipating the priorities of the next stage, by listening to the visions and experiences of ministers from various countries of the world, in a way that supports decision-makers with qualitative data and analyzes that contribute to formulating more flexible and effective policies, and enhance the efficiency of government work systems.

In turn, Hani Ashkar, senior partner at PwC in the Middle East, said: “The World Government Summit continues to consolidate its position as a pivotal platform that contributes to shaping the future of public institutions and enhancing constructive cooperation between governments and the private sector. As a knowledge partner, PwC works to provide strategic visions and qualitative initiatives, including the Best Minister Award, which aims to highlight pioneering government leadership models in achieving a sustainable and measurable social and economic impact. It embodies PwC’s cooperation with The summit is a joint commitment aimed at supporting the capabilities of institutions, stimulating innovation, and advancing long-term progress at the region level.”

For his part, Rami Al-Nazer, Leader of the Clients and Markets Department in the Middle East and Leader of the Government and Public Sector Department in Europe, the Middle East and Africa at PwC, said: “The World Government Summit continues to play its role as a pivotal platform that enables governments to exchange ideas and contribute to shaping the future of public services. PwC is proud to support this message through its long-term partnership with the Summit through qualitative initiatives, including the Global Ministers’ Survey, which highlights the voices and views of ministers around the world, and contributes to supporting more accurate decision-making and achieving better results.” For citizens, PwC also looks forward to contributing to the upcoming Global Government Summit and continuing this strategic cooperation.”

Mona Abu Hana, Head of Corporate Affairs and Relations at the PwC Network, said: “Effective government is based, at its core, on people, leadership and capacity building. We are proud of our partnership with the World Government Summit, and the thought leadership we provide, in addition to the various initiatives in which we participate, which contribute to strengthening these pillars, supporting governments in dealing with increasing complexities, and achieving results with a tangible impact on societies.”

For his part, Firas Qassous, partner at Ernst & Young – Clients and Industries, said: “At Ernst & Young, we believe that transformation represents the cornerstone of achieving sustainable progress, and in light of the increasingly complex challenges that governments around the world face, there is a need for bold visions and innovative solutions that will lead reform paths.”

He added: The World Most Improved Government Award honors government entities that lead change with a clear vision, implement qualitative reforms with a tangible impact, and establish new standards of excellence in governance. Ernst & Young is proud of its partnership with the World Government Summit to celebrate these inspiring leaders who contribute to building a better future for all, by highlighting initiatives that redefine governance, enhance the efficiency of government services, and create sustainable value for citizens.

It is noteworthy that the Best Minister in the World Award was launched during the fourth session of the World Government Summit in 2016, and in its previous eight editions it was won by 8 ministers, as His Excellency Greg Hunt, Minister of the Environment and Acting Minister of Cities and Built Environment in Australia, won the first edition of the award, and the award in its second edition went to Her Excellency Awa Marie Cole Seck, Minister of Health of the Republic of Senegal, while Her Excellency Seri Mulyani Andrawati, Minister of Finance of Indonesia, won the third edition award, and the fourth edition of the award was won by Her Excellency Awa Marie Cole Seck, Minister of Health of the Republic of Senegal. His Excellency Firuzuddin Firuz, Minister of Health of the Republic of Afghanistan, and the fifth edition went to Her Excellency Azucena Arbelche, Minister of Economy and Finance of Uruguay, and the sixth edition of the award went to His Excellency David Mwenina Singeh, Minister of Basic and Secondary Education of Sierra Leone, while Her Excellency Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health of the State of Qatar, won the award in its seventh session, and His Excellency Dr. Anxius Masuka, Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs of the Republic of Zimbabwe received the award in its session. Eight.

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