H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, participated in a session on the philosophy of government excellence as a pillar of institutional reform at the World Governments Summit 2026 in Dubai, held under the theme “What Does It Take for Leadership to Transform Excellence into Sustainable Impact”, with the participation of thought leaders, global experts, and decision-makers from around the world.

The session was moderated by Mr. Ibrahim Salman, Chief of Performance and Government Excellence Sector and General Coordinator of the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Program at UAE Prime Minister’s Office, and was attended by Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, and Mr. Sarvar Khamidov, Deputy Advisor to the President on Strategic Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In her speech, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat reviewed the institutional cooperation with the United Arab Emirates in launching the Egypt Government Excellence Award in 2018. The award recently concluded its fourth cycle under the patronage of H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, with the participation of H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister. The award has contributed to establishing a culture of excellence aimed at building an efficient and effective administrative apparatus that applies governance principles and responds to citizens' aspirations. 

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat pointed out that over the four cycles of the award, more than 22,000 trainees from various government entities have been trained, totaling 344,000 training hours. The award also received more than 12,000 applications, of which around 9,000 advanced to the evaluation stage, culminating in the honoring of 219 winners from various ministries, governorates, universities, and government entities.

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat noted that in a world of accelerating change, government challenges are no longer limited to policy design, but extend to governments’ ability to implement and achieve tangible impact, and to prepare the competencies needed to translate plans into sustainable results. She emphasized that these challenges are not confined to a single country, but are faced by most governments, particularly amid rapid economic and technological transformations, making capacity building and institutional capability a fundamental prerequisite for good governance and sustainable development.

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat further highlighted that the state’s efforts to entrench institutional excellence are aligned with Egypt’s narrative for comprehensive development launched by the government, which aims to unify the country’s vision and economic direction, link institutional reform with economic growth, and place citizens at the center of development. Moreover, the efficiency of the administrative apparatus is a key pillar for stimulating investment, improving the business environment, and enhancing the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy.

 H.E. Minister Al-Mashat added that the award reinforces the conviction that investment in human capital is not an option, but rather a strategic driver of development that contributes to enhancing government performance efficiency, improving the quality of services provided to citizens, and ensuring the sustainability of results.

The Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation mentioned that the award contributes to building government readiness for the future by strengthening institutional resilience, supporting innovation in government work, and empowering teams to deal with change efficiently and confidently, thereby enhancing the government’s ability to sustain and adapt in a changing global environment.

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat underscored key outcomes of the Egyptian experience with the award, noting the application of excellence systems in the field of higher education at public universities as the first national award dedicated to the higher education system. She also referred to the positive improvement in the level of readiness of entities across various sectors of the Egyptian state through the activation of internal excellence systems, which have generated momentum within the institutional excellence ecosystem, in addition to the development of the maturity level of excellence among participating entities, reaching the stage of influencing the overall excellence trajectory.

In a related context, during her participation in the World Governments Summit in Dubai, the Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation held a number of bilateral meetings with multilateral and bilateral development partners and officials of the UAE government, as well as meetings with regional and international media outlets.