The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG), the first research and teaching institution focusing on governance and public policy in the Arab world, has revealed the list of key participants in the second UAE Public Policy Forum, to be held in Dubai on January 15-16, 2018.

Bearing the theme “Shaping the Future of Public-Private Partnerships”, the Forum is a leading platform, bringing together officials, researchers, academics, representatives of the private sector and other stakeholders.

Participants include representatives from distinguished international organisations such as the British Infrastructure and Projects Authority, the British National Foundation for Educational Research, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Saudi ACWA Holding Group and international business management consultancy Maxwell Stamp, in addition to representatives from UAE Ministries such as the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Education.

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is the platinum sponsor of the event, while the Dubai Department of Finance (DoF), the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and the GEMS Education Group are the silver sponsors. Meanwhile, the Forum’s knowledge partners are the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Higher Colleges of Technology (Abu Dhabi), the Arab Organization for Administrative Development, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), LinkedIn and Microsoft, along with other local and regional institutions.

MBRSG’s Executive President His Excellency Dr Ali bin Sebaa Al Marri said: “The vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, considers public-private partnerships to be the next phase of government work in the UAE, and an essential ingredient for the transition towards the government of the future. This transition, in turn, transforms the government’s role from mainly operating the country’s infrastructure, to developing, supervising and implementing ambitious visions and strategies, all the while ensuring the quality and sustainability of private-sector services.”

“The Forum welcomes a group of influential public- and private-sector decision makers from around the world, who are set to explore the future of the public-private partnerships, as well as the implications of rapid technological advancements – such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution – on these partnerships,” H.E. continued. “The UAE Public Policy Forum will showcase international success stories, exploring ways to implement them in the UAE.”

“We look forward to seeing the Forum become an established go-to platform for regional decision makers to engage in fruitful debate and then capitalise on the key takeaways,” H.E. Al Marri concluded.

The second UAE Public Policy Forum is set to explore opportunities for cooperation between the public and private sectors in several fields, namely, education, health, transportation, technology and innovation, urban planning, and sustainable development.  The event seeks to help stakeholders in both sectors evaluate partnership projects in the UAE and the region, exchange ideas and experiences, and develop new policies, regulations and action plans for sustainable development and the knowledge economy.

The event focuses on: Identifying and evaluating opportunities for public-private partnerships; creating an enabling environment for PPPs; discussing visions and strategies to improve partnerships and increase effectiveness; performance evaluation; using smart technologies and innovation to the benefit of PPPs; and developing policies to govern public-private partnerships in the future.