Sheikh Mohammed launches new UAE Ministry of Possibilities

The UAE has launched a new virtual “Ministry of Possibilities”, which will operate without a minister and focus on building new government systems, the country’s Vice President and Prime Minister and Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced on Tuesday.

Taking to Twitter, Sheikh Mohammed said the “unconventional ministry” will be staffed with cabinet members.

Sheikh Mohammed also issued directives to start working on the first phase of a number of national programmes in the form of four departments. These include the departments of Anticipatory services, Behavioural rewards, UAE talent and Government procurement.

The ministry will oversee key functions that require quick, bold and effective decisions, a statement said.

“Its roles include applying design-thinking and experimentation to develop proactive and disruptive solutions to tackle critical issues, bringing together federal and local government teams and the private sector,” it added.

We launched the world's first virtual "Ministry of Possibilities," a new government work system in the UAE. The virtual ministry, administered by the cabinet, will address pressing national portfolios and build future government systems. pic.twitter.com/DQAu3N8zqx

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 23, 2019

Sheikh Mohammed said: “The reality we are experiencing in the UAE today is a product of unconventional leadership. We need modern systems to make our unconventional ambitions a reality.”

He added: “The future brings challenges that require constant government restructuring. The word impossible does not exist in our dictionary. It is not part of our vision and will never be part of our future.”

The ministry will begin working on several projects, including providing proactive services to the public, building an electronic platform to facilitate government purchases and shortening its time from 60 days to 6 minutes, Sheikh Mohammed explained.

It will also establish “specialised systems to discover talents in every child in the UAE”, he said.

The ministry will be located in AREA 2071 in Emirates Towers in Dubai.

.@HHShkMohd: Today we launched the Ministry of Possibilities, an unconventional ministry without a minister. Its staff are cabinet members. The ministry works on important national matters and towards building new government systems for the future. pic.twitter.com/zBgBrai9qg

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) April 23, 2019

The four departments will focus on the following issues.

Anticipatory services

Working with a specialised team drawn from various government entities and experts in data analysis and data privacy, the department will develop a system for anticipating the needs of the public and delivering services to them before they are requested.

The department will conduct research to assess the current state of government service delivery and identify areas of improvement. It will also work on developing ways to embed anticipatory services in all areas of government.

Behavioural rewards

The ministry of Possibilities will oversee the department of Behavioural rewards in the first phase.

The department will bring together a team from different ministries and public entities to develop an approach for incentivising positive behaviour through a point-based “rewards” system. Individuals will be able to collect points that can be used in payments for government services.

The department will also develop a list of positive behaviours with a measurement system that will calculate points and rewards. It will launch initiatives to reinforce positive behaviour in society and develop a framework to enable government entities to contribute to the list in line with the policies.

Developing Emirati talent

The department will develop tools to identify talent of all ages and from all social segments and create innovative channels to enable citizens to develop their skills and talent for the service of their country. It will create a framework for talent development and analysis, create an evaluation mechanism and collaborate with companies to provide necessary support.

Government procurement

It aims to develop a radically new approach for government procurement that will make procurement faster and more accessible, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The department aims to create an easy-to-use government procurement platform based on the latest developments in digital markets that will help promote SMEs and improve government cost effectiveness. The platform will also update government procurement policies to speed up transactions and improve efficiency.