The Council of Ministers adopts an integrated platform for investment in vital sectors and the national building regulations

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, presided over an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers, which was held in the Al-Zawra Nature Reserve in the Emirate of Ajman, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Ministers, Minister of Finance, and Lieutenant General H.H. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, "Today, in the Council of Ministers, we approved the launch of an integrated national platform that represents a compass for investment in vital sectors such as financial technology, tourism, manufacturing, renewable energy, and others. The platform, which is supervised by the Ministry of Economy, highlights opportunities in all sectors." These sectors are for investors of all categories.

His Highness also said, "Today, we approved the National Building Regulations in the country, which includes sustainability standards for roads, buildings, housing, and others... The aim is to reduce the use of natural resources and the carbon footprint and to enhance environmental sustainability standards for building in the UAE."

His Highness added, "Today, we adopted a decision to raise the efficiency and readiness of the border crossings and free zones, and to enhance capabilities and unify procedures and requirements in accordance with the best international security standards in this field."

Foreign investor compass

In detail, the Cabinet approved the foreign investor’s compass project in the targeted sectors, which represents an integrated national platform aimed at promoting the investment environment in the UAE, and highlighting the country’s capabilities in the targeted sectors by identifying the most prominent features of each sector, highlighting the opportunities and vital areas for investment available in it, and providing relevant information. The importance of the investment environment, and reviewing the preference that the investor enjoys when choosing to invest in a specific sector in the UAE, through an electronic platform, guides and promotional tools that represent the foreign investor’s compass in specific sectors, namely: financial technology, agricultural technology, health care, education, Communications and information technology, media and entertainment, e-commerce, tourism, space, logistics, manufacturing, medical tourism, renewable energy, creative industries, smart cities, and other strategic sectors at the state level.

- National Building Regulations

The Council also approved the National Building Regulations for the State, which includes sustainability guides for buildings, roads, and federal housing, and the National Guide for Building Sustainability for the two pillars of operation and maintenance, to ensure the achievement of strategic results and targets in terms of reducing the use of materials and natural resources by 15%, and reducing the carbon footprint by 5%. , Reducing energy in roads by 45%, Reducing energy in buildings and housing by 25%, Reducing water consumption by 16%, and supporting the green economy. environment and climate change, operations management, quality of life, in addition to the welfare and comfort of the beneficiary of these projects.

Promote healthy lifestyles

The Cabinet also approved the national policy to promote healthy lifestyles in the country, which aims to reduce indicators related to unhealthy lifestyles, improve the quality of healthy life for the individual and society, create healthy environments that promote and protect the rights of all persons of all ages, and support capacity building by strengthening structural and institutional capabilities. And human and health systems and reorienting them to the process of preventing diseases associated with an unhealthy lifestyle, encouraging multi-sectoral partnerships to ensure effective preventive interventions for problems and diseases related to an unhealthy lifestyle, and consolidating the concept of community partnership by increasing the awareness of community members about healthy behaviors aimed at a healthy and long life.

Smart Health Initiative

In the context of health projects, the Cabinet approved the comprehensive smart health initiative aimed at developing health services in the country through partnership and cooperation between various governmental health agencies and private sector institutions, and work to develop and update the rules governing the use of modern methods and technologies to provide advanced digital health services, to ensure Enhancing the efforts of the state and the efficiency of health agencies, and achieving a quantum leap in this field, including medical advice and diagnosis, prescribing and dispensing medical products, conducting remote medical interventions, remote medical follow-up and monitoring, and setting controls and conditions for providing 100% remote health services.

- Clean Emirates Campaign

The Council also approved the launch of the “Clean Emirates” campaign initiative, coinciding with the International Volunteer Day, corresponding to December 5, 2022. The campaign, which is launched by the Ministry of Community Development and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment for 10 consecutive days and continues until December 15, aims to involve officials, ministers and work teams of the authorities. Federal and local volunteering, by cleaning tourist destinations in the country, in cooperation with the Emirates Environmental Group, and the initiative works to enhance the role of federal government employees in supporting the volunteer work process and spreading the culture of volunteering, and supporting the environment file, and the state’s efforts to host the COP28 conference, in addition to participating in the most beautiful campaign winter in the world.

Organizing federal government purchases

In legislative affairs, the Council approved the issuance of a federal law regarding the regulation of federal government procurement, with the aim of governing the legislative framework for procurement operations in the government, unifying and regulating procurement rules and methods in all federal entities, and ensuring that procurement activities and their evaluation are carried out in accordance with the highest standards of quality, standards and sustainable development. And focus on supporting small and medium enterprises and the national economy, and serving the UAE and its agenda aimed at achieving a sustainable economy, based on knowledge, competitiveness and experience.

Residential grants

The Council also reviewed a detailed study on the monthly income ceiling for requests for housing assistance and grants within the Sheikh Zayed Housing Program, and proposals submitted to study some groups and cases that require consideration of some cases of housing grants for citizens with limited incomes who do not meet the conditions of loans, and to respond to requests from the category of citizens whose income increases. The ceiling of the grant entitlement, according to criteria and controls to be coordinated with the concerned authorities in this regard.

In government affairs, the Cabinet reviewed the recommendations of the Federal National Council regarding the “policy of the Ministry of Health and Community Protection regarding the promotion of mental health in the country, and the Council approved the budget of both the Federal Tax Authority and the budget of the General Pension and Social Security Authority for the fiscal year 2023, and the Council also reviewed a report The Ministry of Culture and Youth regarding the National Strategy for Cultural and Creative Industries 2021-2031, and the report on the achievements and work of the Emirates Investment Authority during the period from 01/01/2022 to 09/30/2022.

The Council also approved the issuance of a number of government legislation, including a decision regarding ports and free zones in the country, amending the executive regulations regarding credit information services, amending the Cabinet’s decision regarding the services of the Ministry of Economy related to auditors, and issuing a decision regarding updating the services of judicial advertisements that are made through companies. And private institutions within the services of the Ministry of Justice, and the Council approved the issuance of a decision regarding the reorganization of the provision of training and development services provided by the Emirates Health Services Corporation.

International agreements

In international relations, the Council agreed to ratify an agreement between the Government of the State and each of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho, and the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga regarding air services between and beyond their territories. It also approved the ratification of a protocol to amend the agreement between the Government of the State and the Government of Barbados in regarding air services between and beyond their respective territories, and the signing of an agreement between the Government of the State and the Government of Turkmenistan on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters.

The Council also approved the state's accession to the Beijing Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Related to International Civil Aviation for the year 2010, and the state's accession to the International School Meal Alliance, which aims to support countries to re-establish effective school meal programs and reach vulnerable children in low-income countries, where it targets The state aims to enhance national efforts to support the availability and diversity of food and to contribute to food meal programs worldwide, through humanitarian and charitable institutions and bodies in the country.

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