Abu Dhabi, February 26, 2011:  The Department of Municipal Affairs organized a workshop about the alignment of the strategic plans for Abu Dhabi infrastructure group, which include Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Western Region Development Council, Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority, the Department of Transport and the Municipal system representatives that include The Department of Municipal Affairs and the three municipalities of the Emirate: Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region.

During that meeting DMA was assigned to be the responsible for coordination between the government entities in of the Abu Dhabi infrastructure group. Meeting's participants discussed the challenges that might face them during the implementation of strategic priorities and they proposed some solutions to sort-out these challenges.    

the Municipal Planning team at DMA, started the workshop by highlighting the importance of the role that Abu Dhabi infrastructure group plays and how it contributes in achieving Abu Dhabi government vision, and he explained how sensitive and important this role is especially when it comes to build a successful sophisticated infrastructure that contributes to Abu Dhabi development. The team also emphasized that integration and mutual cooperation between the members of Abu Dhabi infrastructure group will lead to the successful completion of the infrastructure for Abu Dhabi city.

The Municipal Planning division did a presentation about the outcomes of the Strategic Plan within the framework of the performance output plan of Abu Dhabi. The division also reviewed the infrastructure output plan, pointing to the opportunities of improvement that the group could come up with in order to have better outcomes.  The presentation also highlighted the similarities and the differences of the outcomes that the group members have and the importance of working in supportive way.

The workshop stressed on the importance of assigning representatives for both the strategic planning and performance management so that they will communicate with the government entities that has to do with Abu Dhabi infrastructure. Another highlight was the invitation which needs to be sent to the roads and real-estate experts in order to get them involved and get the benefit from their experiences which will eventually lead to an accurate plan based on strong bases.

The participants discussed the future communication methods between the government entities representatives through the regularly scheduled meeting and the different workshops pointing out that the attendees of these meetings and workshops should include representatives of the strategic planning and performance management, technical experts and initiative owners in case of necessity.

Participants discussed the need to design strategic solutions for the infrastructure so that these solutions will contribute to set out the agenda of the general policy Abu Dhabi. They also emphasized the need to hold another workshop to discuss the details of the strategy.

Developing a framework for the management of infrastructure basics was a major point during the workshop. The Municipal system will be working on reviewing the framework and implementing the strategic alignment between the three municipalities. Participants suggested the need to break the barriers between government entities which will be helpful in better coordination to complete the infrastructure projects and then will have a positive impact on Abu Dhabi society.

Elias Shehadie, Consultant of Strategic Planning & Performance Management, focused on the importance of the coordination on a strategic level in order to have a united mission for developing the future plans of Abu Dhabi infrastructure and this in turn will have a positive effect on the process of turning Abu Dhabi to a great place to stay, work and live and promote the city as an excellent destination to invest in.

-Ends- 

About Department of Municipal Affairs:
The Department of the Municipal Affairs (DMA) was established in May 2007, and replaced the Department of Municipalities and Agriculture to become the main focal point of all municipal planning and oversee public works projects in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The DMA aims to produce efficiencies and higher customer satisfaction in accordance with the National Policy Agenda which represents a new era in municipal services to the general public.

As a regulatory body, the DMA supervises the three municipal administrations; Abu Dhabi Municipality, Al Ain Municipality and Western Region Municipality. 

For further information, please contact: 
Department of Municipal Affairs
Mr. Aladin Nakshbandi
Tel: 971-50-6722212
Email: a.bandi@dma.abudhabi.ae  

Asma Al Marzouqi
Mobile:  971-50-5227718
Email: as.almarzouqi@dma.abudhabi.ae  

© Press Release 2011