His Excellency Mohammed Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Head of the Organizing Committee of The Government Summit, to be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on February 11 and 12, 2013 under the theme ‘Leading Governments Services,’ said that hosting the Summit in the UAE is in line with the UAE’ leadership’s vision to further enhance Government services continuously to meet the aspirations of citizens.

His Excellency Al Gergawi said that The Government Summit, billed as the largest government gathering in the region and the Arab world, serves as a new platform to develop government work and services and enable the government sector to achieve excellence, which is crucial to achieve Vision 2021.
His Excellency Al Gergawi explained that the Summit, which will host 2,000 delegates representing UAE, the Arab region and other parts of the world as well as several national, regional and international government leaders and experts, aims to achieve the objectives of improving government services, strengthening cooperation and coordination between the federal and local government, exchanging knowledge, building skills and capacity of UAE nationals and learning about best global and local practices.
He said that the Summit has formed strategic partnerships with national and international organisations to enrich dialogue about best practices in providing government services and will contribute to strengthening mutual cooperation through exchange of experiences, with several global entities taking part in the event.
His Excellency Al Gergawi explained that the Government Summit has formed strategic partnerships with renowned organisations including the  Dubai School of Government, and international entities such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Division for Public Administration & Development Management (DPADM) United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and specialized international institutions such as Getúlio Vargas Foundation, and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore and others.
To further drive these partnerships, the Summit will launch several international reports published in Arabic for the first time to be distributed in the UAE and the Arab world to expand and disseminate knowledge to benefit decision makers, researchers and government experts.
The Summit will also host several workshops and constructive discussions to enhance the quality of government services and provide a model for governmental concepts and practices in the region.
His Excellency Tariq Hilal Lootah, CEO of the Dubai School of Government said the partnership between The Government Summit and Dubai School of Government, underlines the concerted efforts to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, in sharing knowledge and experience to achieve sustainable development.
“Our partnership is led by the importance of the topics discussed and the need to support national projects by providing research on policy and public administration and widening areas of dialogue and debates with leaders and experts and specialists from around the world. This is in line with our commitment to promote knowledge sharing and improving public sector performance and public administration by developing the abilities of decision-makers and enabling them to adopt effective public policies.”
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, Division for Public Administration and Development Management, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, added: “The UAE Government Summit is a timely event as it will promote knowledge sharing and transfer of innovative practices in public governance and help build a common understanding of how UN Member States can enhance government performance and delivery of services. The partnership between the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and UAE’s Government of Dubai is particularly significant since it will offer an opportunity to disseminate across the GCC and MENA countries information about the winners of the United Nations Public Service Awards, which is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service. This event is also in line with the Division for Public Administration and Development Management, UNDESA's mandate to promote knowledge exchange in public administration among the UN Member States, particularly through its United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN), which is a unique online network with over 3,000 members from all regions of the world.”

She added: “As custodian of the United Nations programme on public administration, I would like to highlight that Governments across the globe need to transform their leadership capacities and human resources, as well as their governance systems, institutions, and processes so as to meet the complex and multi-faceted crises of our times and promote development for all. This transformation cannot occur without thinking "out of the box", which requires searching for innovative and forward-looking solutions and leveraging the power of ICT for development.  Thus, The Government Summit will be extremely important especially for the Arab region where rapidly changing circumstances and challenges require more than ever an innovative public governance.”
Rolf Alter Director, Public Governance and Territorial Development, OECD, added: “The Government Summit organized by the UAE government is a great opportunity to learn about best practices in providing government services to achieve better life standards for communities, and we are pleased to work hand in hand with the UAE Government for the success of this event.”
Pejanor Cavalcanti Regional Director of Fundação Getulio Vargas-FGV said: “We believe that being among the most influential think tanks in the world stems from our commitment and excellence in fulfilling its mission of generating and conveying ideas, data, research and analysis, thus contributing to socioeconomic development, responsible governance and ethics. This mission goes hand in hand with the objectives or our strategic partners.
“The Government Summit 2013, organized in partnership with the United Arab Emirates in Dubai, is a unique opportunity for sharing experience with governments, universities and multilateral organizations. Brazilians will embrace this splendid chance to exchanging ideas and practices. This Summit will certainly help its participants to improve their capacity do design and implement more effective delivery systems.”
Professor Kishore Mahbubani Dean and Professor in the Practice of Public Policy of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore added: “The Government Summit comes at the right time, where governments in the East and the West seek to search for more appropriate formulas for government action and service development, after the world has witnessed many fluctuations and change, the summit comes to gather thought leaders, scientists, thinkers and policy makers to discuss the best ways in government work. We are proud to be a strategic partner to this important event, and we are confident that the summit will be able to achieve the goals for which it was held, and will support the United Arab Emirates towards achieving Vision 2021. "