Sharjah, United Arab Emirates: Sharjah Finance Department (SFD) concluded an introductory seminar in the Arab Republic of Egypt on the second cycle of the Sharjah Award for Public Finance. The seminar was part of a series of second-phase meetings scheduled to conclude at the end of January 2023.
Distinguished representatives of government agencies and sectors in Egypt
The symposium was sponsored by His Excellency Dr Mohamed Maait, Minister of Finance of the Arab Egyptian public, and was attended by Dr Ahmed Kajouk, Deputy Minister of Finance for Financial Policies and Institutional Development in Egypt, and His Excellency Dr Nasser Al Hatlan Al Qahtani, Director General of the Arab Organization for Administrative Development affiliated to the League of Arab States, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Award. His Excellency Waleed Al Sayegh, Director General of SFD, member of the Board of Trustees of the Award, His Excellency Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Secretary – General of the Award, and Hassan Pasha, Advisor to the Award. The symposium was accompanied by training workshops for finance workers and representatives of institutions. It also outlined the participation mechanism and how to prepare files for the 17 categories, explaining each category’s criteria, whether an institution or an individual.
Standards and conditions for participation at the organisational and technical levels
His Excellency Waleed Al Sayegh, Director General of Sharjah Finance Department, said: “The second round of the award comes with a new look and according to developed standards and conditions for organisational and technical level participation. It is organised by SFD in cooperation with the Arab Organization for Administrative Development. The government’s financial work aims to further advance and develop the financial sector and its management rationally and sustainably throughout the Arab world.
His Excellency Waleed Al Sayegh, stressed the importance of expanding qualitative experiences and practices in the field of procedures related to measuring and evaluating the level of compliance with standards and requirements of excellence related to government financial work, as well as distinguished job experiences in the financial sector at the level of individual employees.
Active Emirati and Egyptian support for the objectives of the award
His Excellency Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Secretary – General of Sharjah Public Finance Award, delivered a welcoming speech in which he emphasised that as the first of its kind in the region, the Award will continue to enhance its previous successes and ambitious goals in promoting and enabling the financial sector to be a successful and sustainable lever for development in our country. He said this would be achieved by measuring and evaluating the level of adherence to the standards and requirements of excellence related to government financial work at the level of institutions or individuals.
And Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, added, “The award objectives align with the directives of the Government of Sharjah, led by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to highlight the need for combined efforts to develop individuals’ skills, experiences, cultures, and creative abilities by creating value in their businesses, leading to a real functioning economy.”
An integrated system that achieves and sustains the welfare of society
The General of Sharjah Public Finance Award praised the vision of the Ruler of Sharjah for translating the award’s message into achieving outstanding government financial performance by stimulating and encouraging efficient financial performance at the level of thought and practice by government agencies and institutions in the Arab region. He praised the work to disseminate the best experiences, innovation, and applications in managing public money to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development in all its forms and dimensions.
Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi spoke briefly about the award categories, which include nine institutional and eight individual categories. He outlined the role of the General Secretariat and the logistical support team and introduced the award, conditions, criteria, and categories through a series of introductory seminars and workshops throughout the Arab world.
His Excellency praised the role of the Egyptian Ministry of Finance in encouraging and spreading a culture of excellence in financial performance at the institutional and individual levels of the ministry and its employees. He emphasised that the General Secretariat of the Award and the senior management in the SFD are proud of the efforts and thanked those in charge for organising the workshop, supporting the Arab Organization for Administrative Development, and contributing towards the award objectives.
A series of introductory seminars in several Arab countries
The award held the first phase of its introductory seminar series in several Arab countries between October and early December 2022. The second phase of seminars began in countries including Palestine and Egypt in mid-December.
Participation entries are expected to close before the beginning of next February, provided that the relevant committees begin evaluating participation files during February and March. Final results will be approved by the Award’s Board of Trustees in April, in preparation for announcing the names of the winning institutions and individuals in May.
