UAE : Chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the seventh edition of the UAE Government Annual Meetings will kick off in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, bringing together over 500 key officials and leaders from various UAE government entities.

Held from November 4 to 6, this year’s edition is guided by new strategic visions and a comprehensive agenda that builds on the UAE’s recent achievements. The event aims to accelerate national priorities, drive leadership in emerging sectors, and cement the UAE’s position and influence on the world stage, ensuring the nation keeps pace with key global shifts.

His Excellency Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, said the UAE continues to reach new heights, guided by the vision of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

He emphasized that each transformation is a strategic milestone in the nation’s governance that raises the bar for ambition, responsibility, and challenge. His Excellency Al Gergawi described the UAE Government Annual Meetings as “our national platform to reinforce team spirit and work cohesively to deliver new milestones that serve the UAE’s comprehensive development journey.”

His Excellency Al Gergawi said: “With people at the forefront of its priorities, the UAE leadership continues to show that enhancing the quality of life is a sustainable approach rather than a temporary objective. This approach focuses on high-level government development and institutional integration to foster a culture of achievement and enhance the nation’s global competitiveness.”

His Excellency Al Gergawi added: “Guided by the vision of its leaders, the UAE government has pioneered a resilient and responsive governance model that unifies national teams to achieve major goals. The 7th Annual Meetings mark a new strategic milestone in this journey, with an agenda designed to enhance the nation’s readiness and proactively shape its future.”

Strategic direction

His Excellency Al Gergawi stated that this year’s agenda reflects the nation’s key priorities, such as family, identity, healthcare, the economy, investment and AI applications.

The event will commence on Tuesday, Day 0, with the Economic Data Retreat, a session dedicated to integrating high-quality, reliable and comprehensive data to enhance planning and decision-making across all sectors. He noted that for the first time, a joint government exercise will be held to strengthen crisis response coordination and integration.

His Excellency Al Gergawi added that this year’s Annual Meetings will convene over 500 government leaders and officials for a series of retreats, meetings and sessions.

The agenda features extraordinary meetings of the Ministerial Development Council and five Executive Councils, and a conversation that brings together government and private sector leaders.  The UAE International Press Conference will also provide an open dialogue with local, regional and international media to highlight key national updates and achievements.

With over 40 main sessions and national briefings, the agenda will feature a panel discussion on leadership with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah; a review of national anti-drug efforts by Sheikh Zayed bin Hamad Al Nahyan, Chairman of the National Anti-Narcotics Authority; a session with His Excellency Dr. Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Advisor to His Highness the President of the UAE, titled ‘The Geopolitical Scene and the UAE’s Global Narrative’.

The agenda also focuses on citizen priorities where sessions will address the future of national housing, the performance of the UAE’s healthcare sector, and innovative solutions for traffic congestion. Furthermore, His Excellency Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group CEO of Mubadala, will lead a keynote session on sovereign investment and strategic partnerships, outlining their impact and returns for the UAE, while His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity Council for the UAE Government, will deliver a session on the state of the UAE’s cybersecurity.

His Excellency Al Gergawi noted that discussions within the ‘Pulse of the Nation’ space will focus on systems and policies to support Emirati families. The meetings will also see the launch of new initiatives aimed at enhancing the UAE’s global leadership in social and economic sectors.

The event will conclude by honouring outstanding Union Teams, winners of the UAE Order for Culture and Creativity, and winners of the 2nd UAE AI Award.

Outstanding model of governance

The UAE Government Annual Meetings serve as a unique platform to translate the leadership’s vision into actionable policies, bringing together over 500 key officials to shape the nation’s future.

These sessions are dedicated to evaluating national strategies, enhancing coordination across vital sectors, and ensuring progress towards the goals of the “We the UAE 2031” vision and the UAE Centennial 2071.

The overarching objective is to advance the country’s comprehensive development, improve the quality of life, and reinforce the UAE’s position as a key global partner and an attractive economic hub.

These meetings gain particular importance in light of today’s rapid global economic, geopolitical, and technological shifts, which require more flexible and proactive models of governance. They affirm the UAE’s philosophy of proactively shaping the future through a system of policies centred on human development, data, innovation, and institutional integration.

Initiated in 2017 under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the two-day event brings together UAE leadership, ministers and officials from all government entities, with the aim of unifying government action at a national level, and ensuring all sectors are aligned in pursuing the nation’s ambitious developmental vision.