14 February 2024, Abu Dhabi - UAE: At the World Governments Summit 2024 in Dubai, UAE, under the theme of 'Shaping Future Government’, the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA) program, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Chamber, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Program. His Excellency Ahmed Khalifa Al Qubaisi, CEO of the Abu Dhabi Chamber, signed the MoU on behalf of SKEA, whereas His Excellency Ibrahim Salman, General Coordinator of the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Program, signed the document on behalf of his organization with the attendance of His Excellency Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications.

According to the MoU, both sides will collaborate to establish an effective strategic partnership, founded on the principles of strategic cooperation between the public and private sectors by running quality and excellence awards within the UAE, while unifying the related concepts and standards in alignment with the UAE’s leadership approach and vision.

This collaboration will be based on the general framework of the government excellence systems under the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Program, serving as a foundational reference for SKEA standards and offering a suitable model for the private sector. These standards will also be implemented in the forthcoming cycles of SKEA starting from 2024 onwards, ensuring that all assessments and evaluation processes adhere to the standards of the fourth generation of the government excellence system, currently known as “Government Excellence Model (GEM)”.

New Era

H.E. Saeed Abdul Jaleel Al Fahim, Chairman of the Higher Committee of SKEA, described the signing of this MoU as a historic milestone in the journey of joint work between SKEA and the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Program, to spread the culture of good practice and pioneering global experiences in excellence and quality. He underscored the significance of the ongoing development in the quality and excellence programs the UAE is witnessing, emphasizing their alignment with the directives set forth by the UAE wise leadership. These directives prioritize progress and prosperity, advocating for adherence to programs promoting excellence, innovation, and leadership, ensuring that both the public and private sectors adhere to a unified approach to the principles of excellence, innovation and development. These principles are integral to the national strategy of “the government of the future”, which aims to cultivate a stimulating environment for government works and contribute to further enhancing societal happiness, quality lifestyle and sustainable development, reinforcing the role of the UAE in business competitiveness and promoting its position in global indices and a regional hub for the world economy.

Abu Dhabi Chamber Initiative

For his part, His Excellency Ahmed Khalifa Al Qubaisi, CEO of the Abu Dhabi Chamber and Member of SKEA Higher Committee, emphasized that the MoU comes to complement this pursuit of excellence by SKEA. “Through this agreement, we seek to unify concepts and make educated implementation to the standards of the fourth generation of the government excellence system, materializing the futuristic vision of our wise leadership that the Government Excellence Model (GEM) will serve as the roadmap for the UAE towards sustainable excellence,” he said.

UAE Government Excellence Model (previously the 4^th generation of the government excellence system)

SKEA Coordinator General Prof. Hadi El Tigani pointed out that the standards of the fourth generation of excellence were developed based on the latest international benchmarks, drawing from the pioneering experiences of the first Japanese generation, the second American generation, and the third European generation, adding that these standards were integral to SKEA’s operations since its inception 25 years ago.

“It is high time to align these standards with the government sector to position the UAE as a global leader in excellence, innovation and quality, which is currently at the forefront of global excellence with an international model that has significantly advanceed our national institutions and achieved unprecedented benchmarks across public and government domains. The fourth-generation standards played a pivotal role in the development of the performance of workers and work systems, leading to optimal financial and operational outcomes,” he said.

SKEA

It is noteworthy that SKEA program was one of the first excellence awards in the region, marking a significant initiative for the private sector in the UAE since its inception by the Abu Dhabi Chamber in 1999 under the directives of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to serve as a blueprint, a roadmap and a methodology for continuous improvement aimed at bolstering the competitiveness of the business sector in Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

SKEA is governed by a Higher Committee under the Chairmanship of H.E. Saeed Abdul Jaleel Al Fahim, and the membership of H.E. Rashid Abdelkarim Alblooshi, H.E. Dr.  Mohamed Rashed Al Hameli, H.E. Ahmed Khalifa Al Qubaisi, H.E. Mohammed Omer Abdullah, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Salim Al Dhahri, H.E. Yusuf Ali, and SKEA Coordinator General Prof. Hadi El Tigani.