Delegation from the Municipal System visits USA and participates in International Code Council Annual Conference

The delegation which is headed by H.E. Jasem Al Darmaki, Managing Director of the Land and Property Management Sector at the Department of Municipal Affairs ( DMA) and includes a number of officials in the Municipal Regulations Divisions and other sectors in the DMA and the Emirate's Municipalities, Abu Dhabi City, Al Ain City and the Western Region, will also participate in the International Code Council Annual Conference 2012.

The Seattle Department of Planning and Development and Construction site was the launching point for the delegation visit, where both sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation and exchange knowledge in areas related to building permits, under construction building inspections, urban development, Municipal planning and best practices and procedures applied in the Municipal work and services.

Among other priorities and tasks during this visit will be touring different public utilities, Municipal operational sites and infrastructure projects enabling to achieve sustainability and enhance services provided to the public.

H.E. Jasem Al Darmaki, Managing Director of the Land and Property Management Sector at the DMA commented on the trip by saying "This visit will enable us to share our collective knowledge and experience in different areas in the Municipal field with one of the most advanced countries in the world, especially in areas like municipal services, sustainable infrastructure projects, Municipal planning, urban development, land and property regulations. The visit will widen our experience to enhance services provided by the Municipal System to the residents, investors and visitors of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi."

The delegation will attend during this visit the International Code Council Annual Conference taking place on 21 - 24 October in Oregon Convention Center. The conference includes a variety of comprehensive educational sessions and seminars about building department financial management, customer service for code administration, legal aspects and introduction to code enforcement investigation and procedures. The conference also forms a platform to exchange information regarding other countries regulatory systems.

The enhancement of cooperation between the UAE and United States of America in the Municipal field comes at a time where the relationship between both countries witnessed a tremendous improvement in other sectors during the last few years, whereas the trade volume between the two countries rose by 43% in 2011 to reach $18.30bn with the expectations of further improvement in the current year.