10,000 members of the public participate in evaluating government services

The head of government services in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mohammed bin Taliah, confirmed that the UAE government adopts a clear approach based on placing the customer at the heart of all its policies, designs and services, stressing that the concept of “customer” in government work is not limited to a specific group, but rather includes citizens, residents, businessmen, investors and tourists, in addition to airport users and all those dealing with government services.

He said during a session entitled “Zeroing bureaucracy… reshaping the global perception of governments” within the activities of the World Government Summit 2026: “We put customers at the heart of every design and every element we make, because the quality of service begins with understanding the needs of those who use it.”

Bin Taliah pointed out that this trend was translated into practice through the launch of the program to eliminate bureaucracy in 2023, explaining that the program was designed as a local model specific to the UAE, after confirming that there is no integrated global experience that can be replicated in a way that suits the country’s specificity and the diversity of its society. He stressed that the essence of the program is based on listening to the customer’s voice before making any decision or implementing any change, saying: “No government entity is allowed to cancel a procedure or modify a service without first consulting the customer.”

He explained that engaging customers is not limited to traditional surveys or measurement, but rather extends to enabling them to play an active role as evaluators of the performance of government agencies, as more than 10,000 customers nominated themselves to participate in evaluating services. He explained that this mechanism ensures a realistic assessment issued by actual users with direct experience, which contributes to directing government work towards a greater focus on the customer experience.

In the context of talking about the diversity of Emirati society, Bin Taliah pointed out that the presence of more than 200 nationalities living and working in the country requires the government to adopt flexible and comprehensive models that meet the needs of multiple segments, pointing out that the focus is not limited to residents only, but also includes investors and tourists as they are an essential part of the customer system.

He also revealed the existence of an integrated system to evaluate the performance of government agencies and link the results to a system of incentives and prizes, aiming to encourage innovation and improve the quality of services, explaining that the details of this system will be discussed more widely during the discussion sessions and subsequent questions.

He also stressed that one of the most prominent challenges facing government work is the nature of organizational culture, as some government employees tend to be conservative and sensitive to change, especially rapid changes, which requires working to establish an institutional environment that is more flexible and ready for transformation.

He explained that overcoming this challenge is not achieved through administrative decisions only, but rather through building a clear culture that puts the customer at the forefront of priorities.

He pointed out that establishing a “customer first” culture must start from the top of the leadership hierarchy, stressing that this approach, when issued by the decision maker, is automatically reflected in the behavior of employees at various levels.

He said: “Putting the customer first is an approach that comes from the top, and must become an integral part of the culture of every government employee, not just a slogan or a temporary directive.”