The annual meetings for the UAE government were held in Abu Dhabi today, 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.

The meetings constituted the largest governmental gathering of its kind in the UAE, and introduced over 120 federal and local government initiatives in 30 sectors in response to national goals and challenges. The meetings will see the launch of strategies designed to advance the country’s development towards UAE Centennial 2071.

H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, chaired a meeting with seven committees from the Executive Councils of all emirates, launching three initiatives dedicated to enhancing cooperation between the various councils.

During the first day, 120 initiatives were launched in 30 sectors at the federal and local levels; with progress against these to be assessed in one year at the same meetings in 2018, and then continuously until the goals for UAE Vision 2021 are achieved. Some of the pillars that the initiatives fall under include laws and legislation, developing services, collecting national information for databases, reports and studies, strategic plans, and overall national guidelines.

At the meetings, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said, "A historic lecture by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to our young citizens formed the basis of our national vision for the next 50 years. An important aspect of the lecture was preparing for the future of the UAE. Today, 30 teams took the first step toward UAE Centennial 2071."

His Highness continued, "Natural resources are not everlasting, however, the intellectual person who pioneers the future and adapts to global changes will persevere. We seek to empower many more generations with education, a strong economy and a plan for the future that is the most advanced in the world."

"Those who create the future do not surrender to luck or circumstance; planning the future is the first step in defining it," H.H. added.

"Sheikh Zayed built our stable and prosperous nation and left us with one request: to keep working until we become the best in the world," he concluded.

At the meetings, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed stressed the importance of an annual gathering of government leaders to focus on defining the future of the UAE.

He said, "These meetings represent a pioneering national initiative. The UAE’s future prosperity is a responsibility shouldered by everyone in our nation. We can only achieve our ambitious goals for the future with strategic foresight and by acting together as a team."

"Our forefathers are our role models, and set a glowing example of how we can face challenges and build our nation with the future in mind. Today, we seek a prosperous UAE for our future generations, building our nation as one of the best countries in the world. This was always Zayed’s desire."

His Highness also attended a meeting on the future of education in the UAE, alongside H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of education, and Dr. Ahmad Belhoul AlFalasi, Minister of State for Higher Education.

They stressed on the dedication of the UAE’s leadership to establishing a superior educational system, focused on technology and innovative educational models that will empower future generations with the skills to deal with upcoming challenges, and to build a bright future for the UAE.

The UAE government annual meetings are being held on September 26 and 27, with attendance by over 450 dignitaries, heads of executives boards through the UAE, ministers, heads of federal government bodies, heads of local government agencies, local directors and executives.

The 30 pillars include economics, infrastructure and housing, health and prevention services, the youth, the environment, energy, higher education and scientific research, media, smart services, science, technology and innovation, gender balance, government excellence and more. A series of workshops and specialised lectures are being held to discuss and prepare for the challenges and opportunities predicted to arise over the next five decades.

The UAE government annual meetings seek to follow up on the objectives and results achieved in the UAE Vision 2021 strategy, which aims to make see the UAE become among the best countries in the world in various fields by 2021. The meetings are also a platform for the largest and most comprehensive gathering of its kind for government at both the local and federal levels. They are an opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities in national development and to focus government action in various sectors by creating plans, programmes and policies, as well as harmonizing these initiatives, on the path toward UAE Centennial 2071.