The Sharjah Finance Department (SFD), in collaboration with the Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO) (affiliated with the Arab League), launched the third edition of the Sharjah Award for Public Finance. The award aims to promote and spread a culture of quality and excellence as a method for developing and improving the performance of Arab financial institutions by adopting and applying excellence standards in the award, and by sharing and exchanging experiences and best practices in financial management.

The announcement was made during a ceremony held on Wednesday morning at the headquarters of the SFD. The event was attended by His Excellency Salem Youssef Al Qaseer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sharjah Award for Public Finance; HE Dr. Nasser Al Hatlan Al Qahtani, Director General of the Arab Administrative Development Organization and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees; by HE Waleed Al Sayegh, Director General of Sharjah Finance Department and Member of the Board of Trustees; HE Ahmed Saeed Al Jarwan, Member of the Board of Trustees and Secretary General of the Sharjah Consultative Council; HEDr. Azzam Hussein Armili, Advisor to the ARADO and Member of the Board of Trustees; HE Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Director of SFD and Secretary General of the Award; and Hassan Basha, Award Advisor. The event was also attended by members of the organizing committees, a host of media representatives, and employees.

A Paradigm Shift in Financial Excellence Culture

At the beginning of the ceremony, HE Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Director of SFD and Secretary General of the Award, emphasized that the third edition represents a new journey for the Sharjah Award for Public Finance. This follows the success of the first two editions in achieving a qualitative shift in establishing a culture of excellence in public finance, developing sound financial thought, and disseminating global best financial practices at both the local and Arab levels. The award aims to elevate institutional and individual financial performance, hone capabilities, and develop skills.

He highlighted that the successes achieved by the award seek to embody the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. The vision emphasizes the importance of disseminating best practices and applications in managing public funds to achieve sustainable development, optimize the utilization of Arab governmental financial resources, and encourage researchers in the Arab world towards sustainable development to implement the best financial practices.

Intensifying Efforts to Preserve the Award’s Achievements in Financial Policies, Strategies, and Initiatives

His Excellency Salem Youssef Al Qaseer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sharjah Award for Public Finance, called on the working teams involved in the award to continue exerting more efforts to accommodate the aspirations of distinguished individuals. He encouraged them to intensify efforts to preserve the achievements of the award concerning various financial policies, strategies, and initiatives.

On the developmental aspects of the new session, he clarified that the award aims to expand the promotional and awareness program in terms of quantity and quality. A sufficient time period has been allocated from mid-August of the current year until April of the next year to conduct as many visits as possible to all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, as well as to more Arab countries, in order to promote the award and attract participating entries. In addition, accompanying training workshops will be held. This period is also appropriate for receiving nominations, evaluating them, announcing the results, and identifying and honoring the winners. He noted that six new institutional and individual categories have been added to the award, bringing the total to 22 categories, including 11 institutional categories and 11 individual categories.

Salem Al Qaseer reviewed the list of new institutional categories, which include the category for outstanding performance in procurement, contracts, bidding, and asset management, the category for outstanding achievement in financial sustainability, and the category for outstanding achievement in financial scientific research. The new individual categories include the distinguished Arab financial sector manager, the distinguished head of the financial department or mid-level leadership, and the distinguished Arab financial expert.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees revealed that the activities of the new session will host the second Arab Financial Forum. Additionally, a group of previous individual category winners will provide guidance, direction, and motivational programs for financial employees wishing to participate in the current session. He expressed his appreciation for their role as ambassadors of the award and bearers of the torch of knowledge, faithfully transferring the expertise they have acquired.

He concluded by thanking everyone involved in the success of the award, the media, and the cooperating Arab governmental entities for facilitating meetings and gatherings to promote and introduce the award, as well as for holding workshops and training courses.

The Importance of Spreading the Culture of Quality and Excellence in Government Financial Institutions in Arab Countries

In this regard, HE Dr. Nasser Al Hatlan Al Qahtani, Director General of the Arab Administrative Development Organization and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sharjah Award for Public Finance, emphasized the importance of spreading the culture of quality and excellence in government financial institutions in Arab countries through participation in the third cycle of the Sharjah Award for Public Finance in both institutional and individual categories. This will enhance the performance of Arab financial institutions and achieve the satisfaction of beneficiaries of these institutions’ services, noting that the award and its criteria form a roadmap that can be used to improve institutional performance.

He said, “The introductory seminars and training workshops organized by the award team during the third cycle, aimed at introducing the award, its categories, and criteria, as well as the application process through the award’s electronic system, and the topics covered in the training workshops to improve government financial services and enhance the concepts, culture, and methodologies of excellence, all work towards boosting the participation of Arab financial institutions in the award. They also develop the knowledge and skills of the participants in the field of institutional excellence.”

Dr. Nasser Al Hatlan Al Qahtani,praised the efforts of the Sharjah Government in the UAE in supporting the award, which enjoys the gracious patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and its role in building and developing the performance of Arab financial institutions.

22 Institutional and Individual Categories

After that, the attendees watched an introductory presentation explaining the criteria and categories of the new cycle of the award and the mechanism for nomination and submission of participation files. The presentation was given by Aisha Harib Al-Ketbi, Administrative and Institutional Support Expert at the Decision Support Office at SFD.

She explained that registration begins from the current August and continues until April/May of the year 2025. She also outlined the institutional categories, which include:The institution distinguished in public finance, The institution distinguished in electronic financial systems and applications, The institution distinguished in financial project management, The institution distinguished in financial innovation, The institution distinguished in financial control, audit, and risk management, The institution distinguished in delivering financial services, The institution distinguished in procurement, contracts, tenders, auctions, and government assets management, The institution distinguished in cash management, sovereign funds, and banking financial services, The institution distinguished in managing pension and social security funds, The institution distinguished in financial scientific research, and The institution distinguished in achieving financial sustainability.

She added that the individual categories include:Outstanding Arab Financial Sector Manager, Outstanding Arab Financial Manager, Outstanding Arab Budget Manager, Outstanding Arab Tax Manager, Outstanding Arab Accounts Manager, Outstanding Arab Electronic Financial Systems Manager, Outstanding Arab Procurement and Contracts Manager, Outstanding Arab Financial Controller or Auditor, Outstanding Arab Financial Section Head, or mid-level leadership, Outstanding Arab Financial Accountant and Outstanding Arab Financial Expert.

It is worth noting that this is the third cycle of the Sharjah Award for Public Finance, with the second cycle of the award having been launched in 2022, and the winners being honored in May 2023. The previous cycle saw a large number of participants from various Arab countries, both at the institutional and individual levels, and enjoyed widespread participation and great success. This led to improvements in this cycle and the addition of some updates and enhancements based on feedback and requests from participants in previous cycles.