• Winner to be announced at 5th World Government Summit
• Award celebrates ministers who achieved excellent results through leading innovative initiatives

Dubai-UAE: 6 February, 2017:  The World Government Summit (WGS 2017) announced that eight candidates have made it to the final assessment phase of the ‘Best Minister in the World Award’, organized in partnership with Ernst & Young (EY). The winner will be announced during the 5th session of the summit, to run from February 12-14, 2017.

Now in its second year, the Award highlights pioneering governmental models and remarkable efforts to shape the future. The candidates were chosen from a list of 20 ministers, based on the results of a worldwide survey. The public also had an opportunity to nominate their favorites via social media networks.
Omar Sultan Al Olama, Managing Director of the World Government Summit Organization, said: “The Best Minister in the World Award recognizes inspiring accomplishments of ministers and their positive impact on people and societies. It aims to share outstanding experiences for the benefit of the whole world.”
He added: “The summit celebrates ministers who have achieved outstanding results through leading innovative government initiatives. These initiatives are a source of inspiration for improving government work and deserve appreciation. The summit is the ideal platform to present such accomplishments.”

In line with its commitment to keeping the Award impartial and giving it absolute credibility, the summit excluded UAE ministers from nominations. The Award focuses on developing countries due to the challenges their governments face as a result of scarce resources and limited technological capabilities, which make success all the more remarkable.

Evaluation is subject to strict criteria that focuses on the utilization of innovation in key projects and on the magnitude and sustainability of their impact. It also takes into account personal aspects, such as the ministers’ positive presence, good reputation, transparency and integrity. A jury of international experts and key figures representing impartial international bodies will be selecting the ultimate winner.

Mike Jones, MENA Government and Public Sector Advisory Leader at EY, said: 'The Best Minister in The World award offered by the World Government Summit represents an innovative addition for the governments. We are pleased to work with the Summit to honor an influential figure through this global platform, to leave a fundamental positive impact on the lives of individuals and communities” 

Under the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments’, the World Government Summit aims to continuously improve the lives of citizens across the world by empowering governments with knowledge to shape a better future. The attendees include VIPs and senior experts from the public and private sectors globally, ministers, decision makers, CEOs, innovators, officials, experts, entrepreneurs, academics, and university students. Several key initiatives, reports and studies are set to be launched during the summit and throughout the year. The summit runs from February 12 to 14, 2017 at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai.