Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport reviews expertise and achievements of DGEP

Ahmed Nusairat, General Coordinator of Dubai Government Excellence Programme, received the Committee of DAST headed by Engineer Essa Al Dossari, CEO of Public Transport Agency, Chairperson of the Higher Committee and General Secretary of the award, Mohammad Abu Bakr Al Hashimi, Manager of Transport Policies & Legislations, and General Coordinator of the Award and accompanied with number of the Award members including Dr. Aysha Al Busmait, Director of Marketing & Corporate Communication Department, Saeed Al Bairaq, Ahmed Al Kaabi, and Nabeel Al Ali.

The meeting reviewed the target organizations who will be participating in the Award; which included three types of organizations; namely local and federal government organizations, private sector organizations, and public organizations in Dubai. Discussions also covered key aspects of the Award, which included three participating categories; namely managing and streamlining transport processes, conserving environment, and safety. It was agreed that application forms shall include the title, name, concept and process of the initiative, as well as methodology and mechanism of implementation, achievements, evaluation of results, and sustained development plan of the initiative.

Al Dossari explained that the procedure of applying for the Award is made through completing the specified application form and reviewing the comprehensive Participant's Guide of the Award.

The Guide defines the detailed stipulations of filing applications, and contains information about how to complete & send participations, deadlines of receiving applications, and other key information related to the Award & its system. The Guide also contains breakdown of prize money to be distributed to the winners of the three categories, who will also be presented with Excellence Trophies in the three categories. He pointed out that the Award will be funded through private sector sponsorship.

RTA will launch a comprehensive informational and promotional program to introduce the Award. A website will be constructed for the Award in order to induce the largest possible segment of the targeted categories to ensure effective participation and contribution required for realization of the objectives of the Award.

"This visit is part of a series of visits and meetings to be conducted by the Committee of the Award to a number of various Awards Committees in the emirate including Dubai Holy Quran Award, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Business Award, and others so as to review their expertise, achievements, and results. This will enable us draw benefits from these Awards that will enhance the business and meet the targets of Dubai Sustained Transport Award; which is the first of its type in the Middle East and Arabic countries," Al Dossari said.

He added that the Award will contribute to realizing the strategic objectives of the RTA in integrating transport systems, achieving highest levels of safety & security, highlighting the significance of sustained development, and caring for the environment such that it will remain under key focus of local organizations & media. Under this context, official analyses indicate that traffic jams in Dubai result in economic losses estimated as Dhs4.5bn per annum, whereas the cost resulting from traffic accidents is estimated in the order of Dhs400m per annum. Moreover, using various modes of transport results in environmental damage in terms of air pollutants, noise, and vehicle wastes such as tires, oils, batteries, etc.

The meeting underscored the importance of setting clear-cut standards for the Award as they are crucial for final evaluation. Some comments were made and the meeting highlighted the importance of drawing-up a media and marketing plan so that the Award could achieve its intended results.