DUBAI / WAM
The UAE and Kurdistan regional governments held a series of meetings to promote their strategic partnership in government modernisation. This partnership is being launched under the umbrella of the Government Experience Exchange Programme, and during the meetings, the two parties discussed ways to expand their cooperation and enhance the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and successful experiences in government work.
As part of this effort, a UAE government delegation visited Iraqi Kurdistan, where they met with Masrour Barzani, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (KRG), and Rebar Ahmed, the Minister of Interior. The UAE delegation included Abdulla Nasser Lootah, the Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Experience Exchange, as well as the Chairman of the Competitiveness Council, and Manal bin Salem, the Head of the Government Experience Exchange Programme, along with the programme’s team.
Barzani emphasised the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq’s eagerness to strengthen its relationship with the UAE government across various fields, particularly in government modernisation. He noted that the support of the leaders in both countries has been instrumental in the development of their relationship in recent years.
He further expressed the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq’s interest in benefiting from the UAE’s advanced expertise in government modernisation and other areas the UAE has excelled in over the past years. He also highlighted the Kurdistan government’s desire to leverage the UAE’s experience in accelerating their economic diversification agenda.
Abdulla Lootah affirmed that the bilateral cooperation agreement between the UAE and Kurdistan government in the area of government modernisation is a testament to the success of their partnership over the past period. He noted that this partnership has contributed to achieving the objectives of the Government Experience Exchange Programme, which includes empowering governments, building their future capabilities, and enhancing their performance through the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and development models. The ultimate goal is to provide innovative and efficient government services that would have a positive impact on societies and build a better future for the next generations.
“The UAE government is keen to enhance cooperation with governments and countries, and share its knowledge, expertise and successful experiences in the various fields of government work, to shape a new generation of governments and enhance their readiness for the future,†Lootah added. The two parties discussed increasing the areas of cooperation in government development and modernisation during the coming phase, which will witness boosted cooperation in various fields and sectors within the Government Experience Exchange Programme.
They also reviewed the efforts of the joint teams over the past period and the results achieved in developing the partnership to reach advanced levels, which will positively impact government work, performance efficiency and productivity levels. The meeting also shed light on the leading experience of the UAE government in government modernisation as a role model for many countries and governments seeking to build a better future.
As part of the World Government Summit 2022, the UAE and Iraqi Kurdistan governments signed a strategic partnership agreement in the field of government modernisation to exchange expertise, knowledge and successful experiences in government work, build government capabilities, improve the performance of Iraqi Kurdistan, and provide the best services. The agreement covers a number of main pillars including government capabilities, government services, government performance and excellence, civil service, competitiveness and statistics, government accelerators, business incubators, coding, media, and government innovation.