His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has published an annual document named ‘The Fifty-Year Charter’ marking 50 years of him serving the nation.
The document divided into nine articles represents his vision of improving the quality of life, development of the community and ensuring a better future for generations to come.
The annual document will be released every year on 4 January to announce exceptional projects in Dubai. The charter came after the ‘Eight principles’ document with an aim to guide everyone to act in accordance with both the documents ensuring continued prosperity.
‘The Fifty-Year Charter’ will be personally observed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and will be overseen by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum took to Twitter to release the document. “This is a Charter that represents our pledge and promise towards enhancing the life of people in Dubai in 2019. A new charter shall be launched on Jan 4 every year”, read the tweet.
Below is the full text:
Article One: Dubai Silk Road
Dubai is destined to be a crossroad between East and West, and between North and South. We have the largest international airport in the world. It connects us with more than 200 cities. Over the next 10 years, more than one billion passengers will pass through our airports. Worldwide, we operate around 80 ports that are connected to hundreds of cities. Our next goal is to build our own Silk Road in cooperation with our friendly neighbours who share our vision. Our region has historically been a region of civilization and trade, and this role must be restored. We will seek to build an international cooperation to support these aspirations.
Article Two: A Geo-Economic Map for Dubai
In the coming phase we will work to develop a geo-economic map for the city of Dubai and set up specialized, integrated economic zones in the whole city. Each geo-economic sector in the city will have its own council, which manages and markets it. Each geographical sector will have its own economic and investment goals. We will monitor the achievement of these goals with transparency. A Governor will be appointed for each economic zone to oversee the achievement of its goals, as well as its progress and success.
Article Three: First Virtual Commercial City
Dubai will lead the establishment of the first virtual commercial city in the region that grants commercial licenses without having to reside in Dubai. The city will allow investors to open bank accounts and grant e-residencies according to best international laws and regulations. We aim to have 100,000 companies in the virtual city.
Article Four: A Central Education File for Every Citizen
We aim to develop a centralized education database for every citizen to document all the academic degrees obtained, classes and training taken, and conferences attended. This will help us design customized educational plans for our citizens that suit their personal skills. We aim to build an educational and learning system that explores and develops people’s skills. Our goal for our citizens is to have a life-long learning so they can continue to improve their skills and capacities to adapt to the rapid global changes in the world.
Article Five: A Doctor to Every Citizen
We aim to provide citizens with medical consultations 24/7 through hundreds of thousands of doctors, specialists and medical consultants across the globe. This will be facilitated by smart government application. Our goal is to transform the medical system to bring doctors closer to individuals, enhance awareness, and utilize top medical minds globally to serve the health of our citizens.
Article Six: Free Economic and Creative Zones in Universities
Dubai’s foundation is rooted in trade. We will announce our public and private universities as free zones that allow students to carry out business and creative activities, make these activities part of the education and graduation system, and shape integrated economic and creative zones around the universities. These zones will support students with education, research and funding during the launch of their projects. We want our universities to not only graduate students, but also create companies and employers.
Article Seven: Self-sufficiency in Dubai Homes
We will develop an integrated program to build a comprehensive system that allows at least a tenth of our citizens’ homes to be self-sufficient in terms of water, food and energy. The achievement of this goal will help change lifestyles and contribute to the preservation of our environment. We aim to create a new economic sector that supports energy, water and food self-sufficiency in the houses of Dubai, for at least a month, to be increased later.
Article Eight: Cooperative Companies in Various Sectors
This is a long-term program that aims to provide new sources of income to our citizens, improve the quality of some services through privatization, and establishing cooperative companies owned by citizens in a number of vital sectors.
Article Nine: Annual Growth in Philanthropy
Our daily businesses and projects should not let us forget about giving to those who need help. We pledge to increase philanthropic initiatives every year and grow them by at least an equal percentage of our annual economic growth. Charity is indeed a major factor in the happiness of societies and the continuity of progress and prosperity.
These are some highlights of our future vision reflected in a number of practical programs that can be implemented and measured. A new Charter shall be launched in January 4, every year to sustain the welfare and happiness of our society.