Sheikh Mohammed honours winners of the ‘Zero Bureaucracy Award’

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in the presence of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, honoured the winners of the first edition of the ‘Zero Bureaucracy Award’ at the World Governments Summit 2025.

Sheikh Mohammed stated that the Award embodies the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and commitment to develop a community- and people-centred governance model.

Sheikh Mohammed said: “Today, we celebrate the most outstanding government employees and teams. As we honour their achievements and their success in delivering rapid, tangible, sustainable, and unprecedented results, we reaffirm our commitment to redoubling efforts and advancing toward a people-centred ‘Zero Bureaucracy’ government. Our approach to success and achievement is defined by the tangible impact we create in serving the community and enhancing its quality of life.”

Sheikh Mohammed honoured the winners across the seven categories of the ‘Zero Bureaucracy Award’, including ‘Best Government Team’, ‘Impact on People’, ‘Impact on Business’, ‘Engaging People’, ‘Government Integration’, ‘Innovative Solutions’, and ‘Outstanding Initiative’.

The honouring ceremony was attended by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Media Council; Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council; Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence; and Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Municipality and Planning Department in Ajman,

The Ministry of Justice secured first place in the ‘Best Government Team’ category in terms of achieving zero bureaucracy, successfully streamlining over 31 high-impact operations, eliminating bureaucratic procedures and significantly reducing time and effort for clients.

The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure’s ‘Manzili Bundle’ Team won the ‘Impact on People’ category, achieving a tangible impact in enhancing housing procedures for UAE citizens.

The Federal Tax Authority claimed first place in the ‘Impact on Business’ category for improving corporate tax registration procedures, reducing registration time, and optimising operational efficiency.

Three outstanding government teams were presented awards in the ‘Engaging People’ category, namely the Ministry of Interior’s Customer Councils Team, the  Ministry of Finance’s Partner Councils Team, and the Ministry of Health and Prevention’s User Experience Lab and Customer Councils Team, for achieving the greatest impact in fostering transparency and trust between the government and society through effective communication.

The award in the ‘Government Integration’ category was granted to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security’s teams in recognition of their efforts in successfully integrating databases, streamlining connectivity, and minimising procedural steps for individuals and businesses alike.

The award in the ‘Innovative Solutions’ category was presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Smart Mission Team for introducing innovative solutions that streamlined consular processes and enhanced customer satisfaction.

The Emirates Health Services won the award in the ‘Outstanding Initiative’ category in acknowledgment of its exceptional efforts that go beyond the call of duty to significantly improve people's lives and ensure seamless access to essential healthcare services. 

30 federal government entities and 600+ teams

The ‘Zero Bureaucracy Award’ encompassed 30 federal government entities and over  600 teams, recognising excellence in eliminating bureaucratic barriers. The most outstanding initiatives and teams were honoured with prizes totaling up to Dhs7 million.

Three-stage evaluation process

The ‘Zero Bureaucracy Award’ followed a rigorous, three-stage process to ensure fair, transparent, and impartial evaluation, starting off with an independent assessment of bureaucracy elimination initiatives to shortlist qualifiers, prior to conducting interviews and selecting the top five finalists in each category.

During the evaluation process, a comprehensive set of criteria is developed and must be adhered to, emphasising measurable impact, capabilities, and individual contributions and focusing on  the integration of innovation and modern technologies to enhance operations.

The World Governments Summit serves as a global platform for ‘Shaping Future Governments’, and acts as an incubator for a series of prestigious international awards designed to foster innovation and excellence across various aspects of government operations, and convenes over 30 heads of state and government, more than 80 international and regional organisations and 140 government delegations. Its agenda features 21 global forums exploring major future trends and transformations, over 200 interactive sessions with more than 300 prominent speakers—including presidents, ministers, experts, thought leaders, and decision-makers—and over 30 ministerial meetings and roundtables attended by more than 400 ministers.  The Summit will also publish 30 strategic reports in partnership with its international knowledge partners