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UAE Prosperity top priority, says Sheikh Mohammed

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Saturday pledged to press ahead with the country’s ambitious plans to invest all resources to achieve comfort and happiness for its citizens.

Commenting on the result of the United Nation’s first ever world happiness and satisfaction survey in which the UAE ranked 17 worldwide and topped the list of Arab countries, Shaikh Mohammed said the UAE’s founding fathers had their eyes set on providing means for prosperity and happiness to all citizens.

He said the founding fathers’ approach had become a vision and an action plan for the government that impacted its policies and decisions. “At the beginning, I would like to congratulate the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on the results of the survey which showed how happy and satisfied the people of the UAE are, ranking first at the Arab level and 17th worldwide.”

Shaikh Mohammed said although the feeling of happiness and satisfaction differs from person to person, it is the government’s duty to provide decent living standards and prosperity to the citizens.

“It is the duty of the government to provide citizens with excellent quality of life, prosperity and opportunities to the citizens to achieve happiness. This requires rallying efforts, formulating right policies and laws, ensuring security, justice and safety to the community, tending to the underprivileged segments and continuously developing infrastructure. It also requires clear plans, capable teams and optimum use of available resources.”

“We are pressing ahead with our plans to invest our resources to achieve comfort and happiness to all. We have glorious past and a happy present and we will have, by the grace of Allah, a bright future.

I call on all citizens of the UAE to be optimistic, to work hard, to live happily, to always seek the blessings of Allah the Almighty in everything they do and to provide happiness to their families and children,” the leader said.

Shaikh Mohammed urged citizens working in the government sector to maintain excellent performance standards. “We need more performance and we expect nothing from you but the best, for you are the champions who will help achieve our vision to become the best nation in the world by 2021.”

Commenting on the UN survey, Shaikh Mohammed said this achievement could have not been possible without the loyalty, dedication and team spirit shown by the people of the UAE and without the excellent cooperation and coordination across the federal and local government levels.

“The development plans we approved, the initiatives we launched and the policies and laws we enforced have all but one goal — to bring about happiness to the citizens, their families and their children. What we have achieved so far is just an initial milestone that will be followed up by harder work and more accomplishments so we can become the world’s best,” he added.

“When I launched the government’s first strategy in 2007, I announced during the ceremony that the purpose of the strategy was to create happiness for the community and for the citizens. This international report is yet another confirmation that we are on the right track and that the future will, by the grace of Allah, be brighter.”