While Sheikh Mohammed is undoubtedly proud of the UAE’s achievements, his vision has now turned to what the UAE will look like in 2021.
The Ruler of Dubai posted an open letter to his LinkedIn page on Saturday, detailing the UAE’s successes over the past decade and the big plans for the next few years.
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai explained how “it is important to pause occasionally and review our past work, measure our accomplishments and chart our road ahead.”
In the words of Sheikh Mohammed, here are the UAE’s achievements over the past decade and the challenges ahead.
THE UAE’S ECONOMY
Sheikh Mohammed makes a point by saying: “Despite the global financial crisis and the resulting economic slowdown, despite the upheaval and disorder our region has endured, the United Arab Emirates has shown marked progress in all sectors. Our economy has doubled in the past ten years, from a GDP of Dhs663 billion to Dhs1,360 billion.”
OIL DEPENDENCE
Talking about the importance of diversifying the UAE’s economy away from oil dependence, Sheikh Mohammed says: “Our non-petroleum exports have increased from Dhs113 billion to Dhs603 billion (including free zone trade) in the past year. The economic contribution of the non-petroleum sector has increased from 66 per cent to some 77 per cent today.”
COMPETITIVENESS
“We have seen a major growth in our competitiveness, from being the world’s 32nd most competitive economy to the 16th. This has placed the young nation of the UAE on a par with countries who have thousands of years of development behind them.”
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EDUCATION
“In education, we have increased public sector expenditure by 57 per cent to reach Dhs9 billion annually. The number of accredited programmes in UAE universities has grown from 206 to 862. The rate of kindergarten enrolment has grown to 93 per cent, making the UAE among the highest globally. The rate of high school graduation has also reached 93 per cent, which also makes us among the highest globally as well.”
HEALTH
“Our expenditure on the health sector has increased from Dhs1.18 billion when I first assumed office to over Dhs3.82 billion currently. The number of doctors has increased from 10 to over 17,000.”
REACHING FIRST PLACE
“The concept of Excellence and reaching first place have become deeply rooted in our government culture.”
“The UAE leads the Middle East today in over a hundred pivotal development indicators. In fact, our nation leads globally in a number of indictors, such as the quality of our public infrastructure, roads, maritime and aviation facilities, public safety and security, the rate of female enrolment in our universities, government efficiency and trust in the government, among others.”
ROAD SAFETY
“In 2006, the rate of road accident fatalities was approximately 16 to each 100 thousand population. Today, thanks to the since and assidious work by the teams at the Ministry of Interior, the rate stands at 5.9 to every 100 thousand and continues to improve.”
THE CHALLENGES AHEAD
“A few years ago, we announced the indicators for our national agenda. There are 52 national key performance indicators in education, health, housing, society, infrastructure, economy, environment, security, justice and safety among others, which we aim at achieving by 2021, to be among the best countries globally by that date, which marks the 50th anniversary of our Union.”
“A week ago, I received a detailed report about the current progress in achieving these indicators – it stands at 62 per cent, which means 38 per cent of the indicators have not been effectively achieved. We only have five years remaining, a very short period in the life of a nation. It is not our custom to appease or ingratiate anyone, because courtesy at the expense of the country is not a sign of nationalism.”
“There is no room for procrastination, no time for delay. History is a witness to all of us. We have promised our people to accomplish what is best and we shall fulfill our promise. Government work is an honourable duty, and our government will ceaselessly and tirelessly implement its plans and fulfill its objectives.”
“I will lead this effort and the teams behind it personally. We ask God to guide us what is best for our country and our nation.”
“Through all of this, we remember that our goal is the advancement and glory of our nation and the betterment and happiness of our citizens.”
Image: Getty
