Dubai School of Government shares experience with 20 countries at Vienna Global Forum

The session was organised by the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs.

In addition, during the meeting UN officials released the results of a study on the challenges faced by the academic sector in meeting standards of excellence in research and education worldwide.

Dr. Alyousuf presented Dubai's experience in establishing a school of government in 2004 to promote best practices and leadership in public policy in the UAE and the Arab world. Heads of states and representatives from 20 countries including the US, the UK, France and a number of African leaders attended the meeting.

The recommendations made at the session included steps to strengthen channels of communication to share expertise between government schools and policy makers. The participants agreed such an alignment would reinforce coordination between academic circles and decision-makers in developing standards of excellence in leadership.

Dr. Yasar Jarrar, Executive Dean of DSG, informed the participants that courses and programmes offered by DSG combine theory as well as practice. This includes use of case studies to promote good governance and strategic planning, like the Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, an official partner of DSG.

Highlighting a key issue, the UN study pointed out the lack of organizational structure among schools of government and the absence of suitable conditions to provide an educational environment conducive to creative and innovative thinking. The study explained this leaning towards a bureaucratic rather than an open and academic atmosphere was a direct consequence of these schools being part of and dependent on local governments.

Dubai School of Government offers a range of customised and open enrolment programmes through its faculty and in cooperation with international partners. The partners include Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore, and a network of renowned experts.