POLITICAL SYSTEM
Since the establishment of the federation in 1971, the seven emirates that comprise the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) have forged a distinct national identity through consolidation
of their federal status and enjoy an enviable degree of political stability. The UAEs
political system, a unique combination of the traditional and the modern, has underpinned
this political success, enabling the country to develop a modern administrative structure
while, at the same time, ensuring that the best of the traditions of the past are maintained,
adapted and preserved.
Over the course of 2007, major steps have been taken, both at a federal and at a local level,
in terms of reforming the structure of government, these steps being designed both to make
it more responsive to the needs of the countrys population and to ensure that it is better
equipped to cope with the challenges of development, in all spheres, in a manner that is in
keeping with current best practices in administration and the delivery of services, as well
as being more cost-effective.
The process has been directed, at a federal level, by the countrys President, HH Sheikh
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and has been devised and guided at an executive level by
the Vice President and Prime Minister, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
who has also overseen reforms in Dubai. Similar programmes have been launched in other
member emirates of the federation, in particular by its largest component, Abu Dhabi,
again directed by HH Sheikh Khalifa, as Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and implemented by the
Crown Prince and Chairman of Abu Dhabis Executive Council, HH Sheikh Mohammed
bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The most important development during 2007 was the formal launching, early in the year,
of a UAE Government Strategy for the years ahead. Covering 21 individual topics, in the
six sectors of social development, economic development, public sector development,
justice and safety, infrastructure and rural areas development, the strategy is based upon
the National Programme unveiled by President HH Sheikh Khalifa in December 2005.
Drawn up after extensive consultation between the federal ministries, as well as other
bodies, the strategy was launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, who noted that
it . . .
sets the foundations for a new era of public administration. The changing times and the
nature of the challenges prompt us to think in a different way and to adopt international
best practices in the area of public administration. This strategy unifies efforts within a
