UAE committed to working with global partners: Ohood Al Roumi

“The only time to create the future is the present moment," Al Roumi stated, emphasizing the urgency of being proactive in navigating a rapidly changing world, "Our countries may have similar or different challenges, but our goal is the same: to ensure future generations inherit a world that is prosperous, secure, and sustainable."

This came during a session where Al Roumi met with participants in the 2nd Global Government Leaders Programme (GGLP) as part of a series of field visits that take them around various government entities and national projects to learn about the UAE’s best practices and success in various strategic sectors.

Al Roumi highlighted the UAE's forward approach to future readiness, tracing it back to the nation's foundation stage. She cited examples such as when the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, launched his visionary greening of the desert, decades before sustainability became a global concern.

“Our wise leaders today continue to build on this legacy,” Al Roumi noted, “Foreseeing a future beyond oil, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced nearly a decade ago that the UAE's export of its last barrel should be a moment of celebration.” His Highness Sheikh Mohamed then emphasised the need to prioritise investment in new economic sectors like AI, space exploration, advanced technologies, and sustainability, noting that, at the core of these efforts, is human capital development and the need to cultivate a highly skilled workforce to drive long-term prosperity for generations to come.

Another example cited was the early adoption of e-government in 2000 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, a vision that established the UAE as a global leading player in the digital economy and digital governance.

Al Roumi pointed to key global trends shaping the future, including the rise of the digital economy, the growing importance of cybersecurity, sustainability, and the evolving skills of the future. She highlighted the need for governments to adapt policies and regulations to support emerging future industries, while ensuring inclusivity and ethical standards, particularly in areas like AI.

Al Roumi outlined the UAE's proactive initiatives to prepare for the future, including the UAE Future Mission, a platform for co-designing quality, future-readiness projects with government entities; the Future Readiness Framework, a tool for assessing organisational preparedness; the Jahiz programme, which aims to upskill federal government employees in critical future skills, as well as the Future Readiness Seal, which is awarded to projects that demonstrate exceptional foresight and innovation with concrete results and impact.

The Global Government Leaders Programme, jointly organised by the Government Experience Exchange Office at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development (MBRCLD), operating under the Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, empowers first- and second-tier government leaders from participating countries with the goal of enhancing their leadership and management skills. Through a series of field visits, the programme introduces them to project management approaches and best practices, gaining insights they could apply to improve government performance in their own countries.

Participants in the 2nd cohort of the Global Government Leaders Programme come from 31 countries, namely: Azerbaijan, Mongolia, the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, Bermuda, Ethiopia, Georgia, the Maldives, Andorra, Kyrgyzstan, Egypt, Barbados, Romania, Costa Rica, Madagascar, the Seychelles, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Fiji, Rwanda, Senegal, Colombia, Paraguay, Brazil, Turkmenistan, Guyana, Brunei, Malta, Zimbabwe, Serbia, and the UAE.