UAE Federal Government chooses ISO 9000:2000 series to spearhead major public sector reforms

摘要

Following numerous benefits from ISO 9001 certification of the Ministry of Finance and Industry of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Makhtom, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Khalfan bin Khirbash, Minister of State for Financial and Industrial Affairs, recently passed a cabinet resolution directing all ministries and public sector agencies to implement the ISO 9000:2000 series within three years.Author Mohammed Emir Mavani, a senior United Nations consultant specialized in public sector reform, has been appointed to guide a special task force to ensure the success of this major government-wide implementation programme. In his article, he describes some of the changes in mind set and working culture necessary to achieve the objective, including the need to consider other ministries as customers, and the public as stakeholders. The latest version of the ISO 9000 series is being implemented to spearhead the reforms, particularly through its emphasis on four key parameters that drive organizational excellence - management commitment, resources, processes, and measures to achieve customer satisfaction.Central to the initiative is the establishment of a national ISO 9000 regulatory body within the Ministry of Finance and Industry to supervise implementation of the quality management system throughout the UAE Federal Government. This was coupled with the granting of full ISO membership status to the UAE in February 2001, following a visit to Dubai by Dr. Lawrence D. Eicher, ISO Secretary-General, to attend a meeting of senior staff from all public sector organizations, during which he was presented with a copy of the project document in Arabic, signifying the launching of the implementation programme.