Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the 4th Arab Conference on Administrative Reform and Development began today, under the title "Administration between the Public and Private Sectors: Heading Towards Institutional Excellence," in Abu Dhabi, with the attendance of Ahmed Mohammed Al Humairi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, and the participation of several ministers of administrative development and civil service departments in Arab countries.

The three-day conference will involve discussions of 30 research and working papers during eight sessions that will cover topics, including managing procedures and tools in the public and private sectors, achieving leadership and excellence in administrative practices, and the international experience of the UAE in these areas.

The participants of the conference honoured Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed for his patronage and support, as well as his role in spreading the culture of quality and excellence in the UAE and around the world.

Al Humairi received the shield of honour on Sheikh Mansour’s behalf, and the participants thanked the Ministry of Presidential Affairs for its co-operation and support of the conference. Several leaders in the areas of administrative work and development, and law in the Arab world, were also honoured.

Dr. Adel Abdel Aziz, Adviser to the Arab Administrative Development Organisation, stated that the conference aims to determine how government institutions can benefit from the methods and tools of the private sector to achieve inclusive and accelerated growth and development. It also seeks to research the standards of government excellence and how to adopt them through new methods of administrative reform, while promoting the concept of smart government, he added.

He noted that the conference will discuss, during its sessions, how to evaluate the outcomes of development and institutional reforms, with the participation of a group of international and Arab experts and practitioners in the fields of public administration, business administration, the economy, law and the judiciary, along with representatives of several relevant international organisations, including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, ESCWA, and the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP.