The UAE shows a mixture of head, hand and heart in public policy

The cabinet reshuffle, pandemic response and planned Mars probe all signal a desire to balance the past and future

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE, with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces at the St Regis Saadiyat last year. Rashed Al Mansoori / Ministry of Presidential AffairsShow less

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE, reshuffled the Cabinet and merged ministries this week as a way to deliver a more nimble Government that is more able to make quick decisions to manage the country's post-pandemic future.

Earlier this year he said that the nation sought to develop a plan to ensure a fast recovery from restriction of movement orders, which were put in place to control the spread of coronavirus. This week that proposition began to emerge.

"Constant changes will remain the slogan of the coming period until we reach the best government model that keeps up in this new era and achieves the aspirations of the Emirati people," he said, while setting the new Government a deadline of a year to meet its targets.

The reshuffle builds out an ever more collaborative form of government. One minister described the approach as a unified house that was flexible enough for officials to move portfolios with the ease of stepping from one room to another within that structure. Another official said the reshuffle and reorganisation would engineer deeper co-operation between departments.

Suhail Al Mazrouei, the current Minister of Energy, who oversees oil production among other areas, was made Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. The Ministry of Infrastructure was merged into his new department. Victor Besa / The National

Noura Al Kaabi was made Minister of Culture and Youth, with Shamma Al Mazrui serving as Minister of State for Youth. Courtesy: Ministry of Culture and Youth

Dr Sultan Al Jaber was made Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology. He was a Minister of State in the previous Cabinet. Victor Besa / The National

Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi was made Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and is one of three ministers to serve in the Ministry of Economy. He was Minister of Environment in the previous Cabinet. Victor Besa/The National

Ahmad Al Falasi was made Minister of State for Business and SMEs, serving in the Ministry of Economy. He was previously Minister of Higher Education and Advanced Skills, which is responsible for universities and other training centres. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office

Sarah Al Amiri was made as President of the UAE Space Agency. Ms Al Amiri, who was Minister of State for Advanced Sciences in the previous Cabinet, is a computer science graduate who worked on satellites before entering government. She steps into the job as the country prepares to launch the Mars Hope space probe on July 15

Saeed Al Attar was appointed head of all government communications. He was previously director general of the Office of Public Diplomacy

Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti was made head of cyber security. He was previously executive director of the National Electronic Security Authority

Huda Al Hashimi was appointed as head of government strategy and innovation. She has worked in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and The Future, planning and executing major projects including UAE Vision 2021

Abdullah Al Nuaimi was made Minister of Climate Change and Environment, with special focus on working with farmers to boost local food production. He is a mechanical engineer by training, with a degree from University of Wisconsin–Madison, and was Minister of Infrastructure Development between 2013 and 2020

Shamma Al Mazrui, one of the youngest members of the Cabinet, will serve as Minister of State for Youth in the Ministry of Culture and Youth

Ahmed Majed Al Badawi was made Assistant Secretary-General to the Cabinet

Mohammed Sultan Al Obaidly was made Head of Legal Affairs in the UAE Government. He served as Assistant Secretary General to the Cabinet since 2007, after briefing working as a private lawyer in Dubai. He began his career at the Ministry of Labour in 1988, resolving disputes and labour complaints

Hamad Al Mansoori was made Head of Digital Government. He was previously head of the telecoms regulator TRA

Ahmed Juma Al Zaabi was reconfirmed as Minister of the Federal Supreme Council at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak was reconfirmed as Minister of Tolerance

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited some of the emirate's farms this week to view the methods they were using to increase food production and enhance food security.

His comments during the visit provided insight into the balance between the past and future that the UAE so often weighs, shifting what some might have seen as a prosaic factory visit into a statement about the present framed with rich historical reference.

“Supporting the agriculture sector is consistent with the UAE’s strategy for sustainability, environmental protection and preserving natural resources,” he said. “The late Sheikh Zayed attached great importance to agriculture. He was a visionary and always believed that agriculture is the backbone of any society. Sheikh Khalifa has continued that approach.”

Taken together the two acts present a snapshot of how the UAE views its past, and how it engages with the world today and plans for tomorrow.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces (L) visits Local Model Farms. Seen with Hamed Al Hamed, Founder of the Gracia Group (R). Image: MOPA

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed visits a farm outside Abu Dhabi. Image: Twitter @MohamedBinZayed

A general view of Local Model Farms, in Al Bahiya, Abu Dhabi. Image: MOPA

HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces (L) visits Local Model Farms, in Al Bahiya. Seen with Hamed Al Hamed, Founder of the Gracia Group (R). Image: MOPA

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces (L) visits Local Model Farms, in Al Bahiya. Seen with Hamed Al Hamed, Founder of the Gracia Group (R). Image: MOPA

HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces (L) visits Local Model Farms, in Al Bahiya. Seen with Hamed Al Hamed, Founder of the Gracia Group (R). Image: MOPA

He met with agricultural entrepreneurs who are 'pioneering sustainable and resilient farming practices'. Image: Twitter

Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of State for Food Security, has spoken of the need to be more self-sufficient in food production. Image: Twitter

Farms in the Emirates have increasingly used a mix of traditional farming and indoor technology systems to grow crops throughout the seasons. Image: Twitter

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed with Hamed Al Hamed. Image: MOPA

Sheikh Mohamed said innovation in the industry was 'key to our food security goals, and our country’s diversified economic growth". Image: Twitter

Locally-grown produce has become a common sight in supermarkets in recent years. Image: Twitter

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed's comments referenced the Founding Father's interest in and advocacy for agricultural land as a path towards economic development. They also speak to dearly held themes of resilience, sustainability and of the need to build and develop infrastructure. Sheikh Khalifa made similar pronouncements on Tuesday, issuing a law to safeguard Abu Dhabi's natural resources.

The Crown Prince’s farm visit also further underscored the country’s long-standing commitment to finding new and innovative solutions to old-world problems, such as securing a stable supply of food.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid made similar trips to a fish farm and to a coffee production centre last month to observe other projects. Government officials have also recently praised the ability of food factories to keep up with demand during the pandemic.

We can also see that balance between history and the future in the Cabinet and ministries reorganisation.

So much of the UAE's foundation story is represented by great challenges being overcome through courage, clarity of thought and unity. The reshuffle gives that idea a contemporary twist.

ABU DHABI, 21st June, 2020 (WAM) -- The UAE today sent an aid plane carrying 11 metric tons of medical supplies to Azerbaijan to bolster the country’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Wam

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed's comments referenced the Founding Father's interest in and advocacy for agricultural land as a path towards economic development. They also speak to dearly held themes of resilience, sustainability and of the need to build and develop infrastructure

The "one house" reference by Abdulla Al Nuaimi, the new Minister of Climate Change and Environment, speaks to a unified and nimble approach to 21st-century Government, as well as the historic union of seven emirates under one flag almost 50 years ago.

Noura Al Kaabi, the Minister of Culture and Youth, further noted that: “Since Covid-19 hit there has been more clarity in terms of what we do. It has shifted to a different kind of gear that focuses on how we can work more together as a federal system. There is more of a clear mandate.”

That is an interesting point of reference. The country’s coronavirus strategy has been delivered with a mixture of head, hand and heart: the first in the form of the widespread commitment to testing, the second through aid shipments overseas and the third in the willingness for officials and frontline workers to go out into communities to make sure the most vulnerable residents and citizens are looked after.

This approach has also settled for the longer term in a pronouncement that medicine, education and trade can and will change rapidly over the next few years. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said the country “aims to be at the forefront of these changes”.

Future generations will note that the UAE's pandemic response was also grounded in the same philosophies that brought the country together, but that it also harnessed technology to overcome hurdles.

That same spirit of collaboration and collective will can also be seen in the series of community and business initiatives Abu Dhabi has introduced over the past year under the umbrella term of Ghadan 21, which both honours the historical ideals of coexistence and tolerance and sets a course for transformation to create tomorrow's city today.

Running through the core of these examples is a sense that history is a platform to view the world from rather than as a beacon or a burden. There is also a clear correlation between the country’s core values and the need to adapt and change to address the most dynamic circumstances.

Next week, the country will make history, weather permitting, when its Hope probe begins its mission to Mars. In a sense its journey to date and its expedition to come epitomises the country's story: cool heads and steady hands have brought it into being. Its beating heart will carry it forward to the Red Planet.

Nick March is an assistant editor-in-chief at The National