Sheikh Mohammed, Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has asked his newly reshuffled cabinet to prepare a 100-day work plan to progress its aims and objectives.
The first meeting of the cabinet took place on Sunday and discussed ways to shape future policies of the UAE, according to state news agency WAM.
Sheikh Mohammed said: “I would like you all to present a 100-day work plan, especially for the new ministries and those which had many changes.
“Our goal is to expedite progress. Today, countries and governments are measured not by size but by their speed. I want you to be in the field with the people, addressing challenges and hammering out solutions and make a real change in government work.”
He added: “We have a number of national priorities to address, such as youth, knowledge development, community development, climate change, future trends and the post-oil phase. We will develop new innovative mechanism to address them.
“Our real success will be measured by people’s satisfaction and by making their lives easier, because the post is a responsibility in front of Allah and the people.”
At the beginning of this month Sheikh Mohammed merged some government departments and announced plans to create eight new ministerial posts and rejig existing roles, as part of a major government reshuffle.
Among the newly created posts were the roles of Minister of Happiness, Minister of Tolerance and Minister of Youth.
The new cabinet was unveiled later that week.
In an open letter published on Saturday, Sheikh Mohammed explained the rationale behind creation of the new posts.
“The changes reflect what we have learned from events in our region over the past five years,” he wrote. “In particular, we have learned that failure to respond effectively to the aspirations of young people, who represent more than half of the population in Arab countries, is like swimming against the tide.
“Without the energy and optimism of youth, societies cannot develop and grow; indeed, such societies are doomed…
“We are proud that the UAE is a young country. And we are proud of our youth. We invest in them and empower them precisely because they are our future…
“We entrust them with driving our country to new levels of growth and development, which is why we have now appointed a cabinet minister of their age and created a special council of youth.”
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