UAE, 25 November 2020: General Secretariat of the Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate of Dubai (SLC), held an interactive workshop focused on ‘Legislative Agility for Achieving Viability’’ as part of the ‘Legislative Week 2020’, which it organized online from November 22 to 26, 2020.

Mr. Tariq Khamees Abu Salim, Legal Advisor at the SLC, led an interactive workshop titled “Role of Government Policies in Achieving Stable and Quality Legislation” and discussed the importance of implementing government policies based on the adopted set of programs, plans, and initiatives with a view to achieving the desired goals. He highlighted the importance of issuing quality, efficient, effective, and flexible legislation capable of accommodating swift developments and of supporting the principles of good governance, most notably the rule of law and the sustainability of legislation, to achieve the highest degree of integrity, transparency, justice, and equality among members of society.

Ms. Hamda Mohammed bin Kalban, Director of Governance Department, General Secretariat of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, participated in the workshop and highlighted the nature of government policies in today's fast-changing world. She explained that the government policy-making process requires development based on an advanced and futuristic vision that can be translated into legislation, programmes, and quality projects that are aligned with the strategic objectives of the Dubai Plan 2021, and hence have a positive impact on individuals and institutions, and the community.

The workshop also shed light on the importance of government policies in ensuring legislative stability and enhancing the quality of the legislation regulating the economic, environmental, social, educational, and health activities, among others. It also tackled other key topics, such as the concept of legislative stability; the translation of government policies into enforceable legislation; the relationship between the stability of government policies and legislation; the possibility of achieving legislative stability amid multiple government policies; and the positive and negative effects of the stability of legislation.

H.E. Ahmad Saeed bin Meshar Al Muhairi, SLC Secretary General, explained that government policies are the cornerstone of the comprehensive and sustainable development drive, noting that the UAE has succeeded in joining the leading ranks of countries in the global competitiveness index due to its cohesive government policies, which apply practical and innovative methodologies that meet international best practices.

Al Muhairi mentioned that Dubai was the first to prepare, develop, and implement flexible and sustainable government policies that achieve its strategic goals. He noted that the most prominent characteristic of these policies is their ability to be measured and applied, in a manner that establishes government excellence as the way forward in the process of promoting a pioneering and proactive government that is keen to meet the needs of the present and the future.

He added: “The SLC is mandated to develop the legislative process and to improve and enhance the quality of legislation, and to ensure the efficiency and sustainability of legislation. It is also responsible for the establishing a robust legal system, which can anticipate the needs of the future, align the future aspirations of the emirate, and keep pace with the rapid changes brought about by the digital era. We are inspired by the insightful vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who taught us that drafting legislation is not a goal in itself, but a means to make people happy and achieve the public interest. We are working on deliberating and developing the legislation regulating various sectors to ensure consistency with the policies approved by government entities. Through this process, we aim to achieve the highest levels of accuracy and transparency and ensure the proper implementation of legislation in an efficient and effective manner that will bring happiness to society and improve the well-being of individuals.

Bin Mashar concluded: ‘The workshop on ‘Role of Government Policies in Achieving Stable and Quality Legislation’ has provided an ideal platform for introducing the positive impact of a sustainable legislation process at the economic, social, environmental, and other levels and for highlighting the importance of robust government policies in ensuring the sustainability of legislation in all key sectors. The workshop also shed light on what makes quality legislation, such as thoroughness in scope, ease of implementation, compatibility, consistency, and coherence. The success of the workshop motivates us to continue organizing more similar events that reflect our aspirations to raise legislative awareness and enrich legal knowledge among government entities and the UAE community alike.”

The ‘Legislative Week’ agenda discusses several key issues, most notably the sustainability of legislation as it is everyone’s responsibility; the importance of skill and professionalism in developing and implementing sustainable legislation; the concept of legislative stability; the interconnectedness between the robustness of government policies and the quality of legislation; the impact of stability of legislation; and the importance of perceiving the future in the legislative process, among others.

The event hosts legal professionals working in government entities and those specialized in drafting and reviewing legislation. The event also focuses on exploring ways to ensure the sustainability of legislation and to strengthen the legislation amid multiple government policies, thus contributing to consolidating the foundations of legal and legislative excellence to meet the requirements of Dubai’s ambitious development drive.