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His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai,has launched the world’s first virtual Ministry of Possibilities to incubate and develop radical solutions for the government’s most critical challenges.

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 Department of Anticipatory Services, Department of Behavioral Rewards, Department of UAE Talent and Department of Government Procurement.

The Ministry of Possibilities represents the next generation of government operations and oversees key functions that require quick, bold and effective decisions.

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. Through its work, the Ministry will instill a culture in which impossible challenges can be tackled effectively.

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.

" Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum noted that "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.

" H.H Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council; H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, and a number of ministers and dignitaries attended the launch of the new ministry.

The Ministry of Possibilities will help redefine the concept of government by creating a platform for addressing radical changes in government systems. The Ministry will adopt new innovative models and working methods to take calculated risks, with the aim of improving the people’s quality of life.

The Ministry will showcase a new model for next generation government operations to the world. Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and The Future, said "The concept of the Ministry of Possibilities is not entirely new to the UAE that has integrated the culture of tackling the impossible into its work system, approach and vision right from the founding of the nation Tackling the impossible has been a unifying developmental project and part of a future vision that has contributed to making the UAE the most innovative nation in the region.

"The UAE leadership continues to reinforce the concept of the possible in all sectors of life, dedicating all possible capabilities, resources, energies and, most importantly, the willpower to defy the impossible," he added. Al Gergawi referred to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision according to which "nothing can stop our ambitions and aspirations.

The word impossible does not exist in the dictionary of the UAE’s leadership and people."

"The ministry will address urgent government issues by developing proactive and radical solutions to overcome pressing challenges, improve government services and instill a culture of tackling the impossible," he further said. Al Gergawi pointed out that the Ministry will partner with other ministries as well as public and private entities to address pressing issues and achieve objectives and results within a specific time frame.

The Ministry of Possibilities represents a pioneering development approach that the UAE leadership has adopted, inspired by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s vision of making the UAE one of the world’s leading countries.

The Ministry also translates the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed as part of which "the word impossible does not exist in the UAE’s approach and work system,".

It will seek to achieve this by creating a unique Emirati model that adopts positive change and effective solutions to turn difficult challenges to opportunities for proactively meeting the nation’s needs.

Reflecting the UAE vision to be the leading nation of the world by the 100th anniversary of the country’s founding, The Ministry of Possibilities seeks to use experimentation and design thinking to disrupt conventional systems and develop unique solutions.

The Ministry redefines government through new systems and behaviors and transforms the concept of the "possible" into a sustainable government approach and culture.

The Ministry will handle critical national issues that requires quick, bold and effective decisions.

It will spearhead diverse initiatives and projects, bringing together federal and local governments and private sector teams. The Ministry will be located in AREA 2071 in Emirates Towers in Dubai.

The Department of Anticipatory Services aims to redefine customer experience in all areas by providing anticipatory services to the public. 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.

The Ministry of Possibilities will oversee the Department of Behavioral 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 behavior 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 behaviors with a measurement system that will calculate points and rewards.

It will launch initiatives to reinforce positive behavior in society and develop a framework to enable government entities to contribute to the list in line with government policies.

The Department of UAE Talent will create a nurturing environment to empower Emiratis to be part of the country’s development journey and contribute to designing the future.

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.

The Department of Government Procurement 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.