HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Honours Winners of DGEP Awards HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Reiterates Government's Commitment to Excellence Dubai: 14 May, 2007: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, today (Monday) honoured the winners of the Dubai Government Excellence Programme (DGEP) Awards. The award ceremony, held in Madinat Jumeirah, was attended by a host of VIPs, senior government officials, heads of departments, public and private sector representatives and other dignitaries. In his key note address, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, said the DGEP is a vivid manifestation of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed's futuristic vision which led to the inception of the programme back in 1998. He added the programme, recognised as the first comprehensive initiative of its kind the world, has achieved significant success as an effective tool for developing the public sector. H.H. Sheikh Hamdan said the roadmap for change has been wisely laid out by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed’s strategy for Dubai's future which emphasises dedication, innovation, leadership and positive involvement. "The Dubai Executive Council will closely monitor the implementation of the Dubai Strategic Plan in various areas, ensuring the targets for sustainable development are achieved.” H.H. Sheikh Hamdan said Dubai government entities are committed to keeping customer services as their core focus area, while investing in human capital development and promoting principles of integrity, leading to increased productivity and higher customer satisfaction. "The DGEP Awards honour those deserving employees who pursue excellence in their own areas. The programme is also a strong reminder to those who lag behind and do not live up to expectations. However, it does help people to identify areas for improvement and encourages speedy action plans to address these shortcomings," he added. H.H. Sheikh Hamdan concluded his address by reiterating the Dubai government's pledge to work towards more efficient processes, higher productivity and result-oriented methodologies, leading to higher quality services and better customer satisfaction. The Dubai Government Excellent Programme was launched by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed in 1998 to promote principles of excellence and high quality services across government bodies in Dubai. Over the past nine years, the programme has managed to usher in international standards and key performance indicators to local government entities, helping them achieve better results. The programme has had a tremendous positive impact on the quality of government services through honest competition governed by clearly set criteria. Back