Senior officials and researchers said the annual meetings of the UAE government in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday confirm that strategic planning and forecasting the future remain key pillars of the development process in the UAE under the theme ''The Future starts today''.

The two-day annual meetings will focus on reviewing two key national development plans, the UAE Vision 2021 and the UAE Centennial 2071. The goals and progress of UAE Vision 2021 will be assessed, including outlining a plan for the next three years. The meetings will also set out to complete a solid foundation for the UAE Centennial 2071, which is based on the historic lecture by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The meetings will include a variety of specialised workshops and brainstorming sessions aimed at defining and pursuing the agenda to be implemented in the UAE over the next five decades.

The officials and researchers stated that the meeting, which will be chaired by Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, will constitute a paradigm shift and a historic juncture in the government thinking to assess previous experiments in government work so as to learn lessons and set out masterplans to deliver the UAE Vision 2021.

In statements to Emirates News Agency, WAM, they recognised the need for the UAE to keep abreast of the rapid global transformations and to harness technology to usher confidently into the future.

They affirmed that the state takes strategic planning and foreseeing the future as a well-established working approach for the federal and local government ministries and entities in order to retain its leading standing in political, economic, cultural and educational fields.

Ahmed Al Jarwan, member of the Federal National Council, told WAM that the state's ability to achieve sustainable development goals rests on the quality of its strategic planning, which enables its institutions to provide decent life to citizens.

''The successes we are witnessing today in both government and private sector work are a culmination of an exceptional policy laid down by our founding fathers,'' he noted.

He termed the annual meetings as a '' a pioneering experiment'' that will have far-reaching impact on the state's ability to address diverse regional and global challenges.

According to him, five long-term strategies and 120 national initiatives will be launched in over 30 federal and local sectors during the meetings, in addition to reviewing the global geopolitical climate, and discussing the UAE’s objectives over the coming three years. They will focus on aligning national objectives and setting a clear infrastructure for the country’s future by introducing policies and services that seek to meet national goals.

Ebtesam Al Ketbi, President of Emirates Policy Center, said the decision taken by the Federal Cabinet to hold this annual gatherings to evaluate the government work and development process as well as to conceptualise a development blueprint for the UAE Centennial 2071 demonstrates the advanced state of governance and pre-emptive thinking of the country's prudent leadership.

''States can't be governed and led by wishful thinking or chaos. Advanced nations could not have achieved progress, development, renaissance, urban and technological development, financial stability and social prosperity and welfare without strategic planning that sets alternative solutions to present concerns and shortcomings and foresees future plans,'' she indicated.

She expressed her hope that the positive outcome of the meetings would further consolidate the UAE's leadership and its development model in the region and promote indicators of UAE's soft power.

Major-General Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, Inspector-General, Ministry of Interior, stated that the UAE stands as a wonderful testimony of the modern time sea transformations in technological, economic, demographic and environmental spheres.

''The UAE is proud of the skillful and innovative abilities of its citizens and the far-sighted vision of its leadership to address rapid changes taking place around us. The state is predicting scenarios that fit well national ambitions and address expected internal and external transformations,'' he noted.

Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Media Company, stated that strategic planning had been - since the founding of the UAE - at the heart of development planning due to the early understanding and reading of various international experiments and that oil will be depleted one day and there must be a strategy for diversification of resources of national income so as to preserve hard-won achievements and pursue the development track.

''The strategic planning process will reach its peak with the convening of this annual meetings in Abu Dhabi next Tuesday, which will see the launch of many important initiatives,'' he added.

Dr. Fatima Al Shamsi, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Administration, Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, said strategic planning will ensure that economic resources are used in an optimum way to deliver the best results.

''As the state primarily seeks to achieve robust growth rates and high economic welfare to citizens, its strategic plans should be inclusive, have specific objectives and clear features for economic, social and humanitarian aspects,''she added.

The UAE Government annual meetings will see the presence of over 400 dignitaries, including executive board members of the seven emirates, ministers, heads of official federal and local government bodies and more. At the meetings, 120 national initiatives in 11 vital areas will be launched, including national programmes, laws, legislation, services, database information, strategic plans and local reports and studies.

Long-term national strategies will also be launched, including the UAE Soft Power Strategy, the Emirates Higher Education Strategy, the UAE Fourth Industrial Revolution Strategy and the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036.

The meetings will also cover over 30 subjects including economics, infrastructure and housing, health and prevention services, youth, resettlement, the environment, energy, higher education and science research, media smart services, technology and innovation, and gender balance. There will also be various workshops and specialised lectures that will dissect the most relevant anticipated challenges for the next five decades, with a focus on how to develop plans in preparation for them.

The UAE Government annual meetings will address the objectives and results achieved so far within the UAE Vision 2021 framework, including the goal of establishing the UAE among the best countries in the world in various fields and in accordance with international indicators. To achieve these goals, a National Agenda was established and divided the objectives into six national axes representing main government sectors: education, health, economy, police and security, housing and infrastructure, and government services.

The meetings aim to provide the largest and most comprehensive platform for federal and local governments to discuss the challenges facing the UAE’s development process and government priorities in various sectors, and to introduce appropriate strategies and policies. The meetings also seek to harmonise federal and local government strategies. They mark the start of planning for UAE Centennial 2071, including a comprehensive and extensive government programme with long-term strategies to establish the UAE’s reputation in the region, a system of values for future generations, increasing productivity in the national economy and enhancing social solidarity and cohesion.