Mohammed bin Rashid turns 15 years at the head of the Emirates

On 4 January 2006, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum became ruler of Dubai after the death of his older brother, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid. A day later the members of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) appointed him vice-president of the country and on February 11 President Khalifa bin Zayed appointed him prime minister. Fifteen years have now passed since then and Mohammed bin Rashid wanted to take stock of his management of the nation.  

"I worked to accomplish the vision of my brother, the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. I did my best to serve the people of the UAE," Mohammed bin Rashid posted on his Twitter account on Sunday.  

"Fifteen years ago, I was appointed the head of the federal government. I swore before our President and to be loyal to the UAE, to preserve our Union, protect our interests, respect our Constitution and look after the needs of our people. All of you were witnesses of that moment, and God was witness to this oath. God knows that we did our best, we dedicated all our government resources to serve our people and that we did not favor anyone at the expense of our country’s interests".

Despite the fact that when he arrived at the post hardly anyone was confident of his success, as a high-ranking emirate leader confessed years later, the success of his policies has been demonstrated over time: the government budget has increased by 130 per cent; the UAE is the second most financially efficient country globally; it ranks first on 121 indicators; the population's perception of security is 95 per cent; the country has the second most powerful economy in the Arab world; it ranks first in economic stability, access to electricity services, speed of mobile broadband and second in adaptability to change; it is also the country that attracts most foreign investment in the region, where it is easiest to do business and has the highest sovereign credit rating.  

In the area of social policy, the UAE government has over the years placed emphasis on investing in education by spending 140 billion dirhams (EDA), the national currency, and has made its education the best in the region in mathematics and science, which is complemented by spending on research and development in universities, which in 2020 exceeded 8 billion EDA.  

40 billion was spent on housing in recent years and some 94 billion on social development programmes. 50 billion have been invested in health, making it the first in the region in terms of the number of accredited hospitals. It is also the third country in the world in terms of physical health and general satisfaction with health services. Improved social services have raised life expectancy to 80 years.  

The sheikh highlighted the strategy announced in 2009, the UAE Vision 2021, which was questioned at the time by some sectors as being unfeasible, but which has finally borne fruit.  

"What have we learned from the last 15 years?" Bin Rashid asked himself. "I learned that our union is strength. This is the biggest achievement that we should protect. Local units can compete among each other – and this is good – however, we must always remember that the UAE is our homeland and haven. It represents our authentic identity. And the spirit of the Sangh is the dominant force that shapes our core and drives us to work tirelessly together to honor our country. If it were not for this feeling, I would not have seen the sacrifices made on a daily basis to get to where we are today". 

"We have learned the key to success in empowering and honoring human life and dignity without discrimination or prejudice. If we want to continue, we must protect these values of tolerance, co-existence, respect and justice," said Mohammed bin Rashid. 

"Our success is for generations to come. Success lies in our loyalty and responsibility to our country," said the Prime Minister.