In line with the UAE Government's plan and increased efforts to combat COVID-19, the Supreme Committee for COVID-19 Crisis Management, has announced the formation of the National COVID-19 Crisis Recovery Management and Governance Committee.

Chaired by Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, the Committee includes members representing a number of ministries and federal departments, including the Ministry of Presidential Affairs; Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Defence; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Ministry of Health and Prevention; Ministry of Economy; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation; Ministry of Community Development; Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure; Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology; Ministry of Food and Water Security; Prime Minister’s Office; General Secretariat of the Cabinet; General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for National Security; Abu Dhabi Executive Office; National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA); Media Office of the UAE Government; Abu Dhabi Executive Council; and Dubai Executive Council; in addition to representatives of the Emirates Development Bank and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

The Committee is mandated to ensure efficient recovery from the COVID-19 crisis by leveraging the resources required for business continuity.

The Committee will also develop proactive support programmes for various establishments by identifying their roles, responsibilities and key strategic and operational performance indicators with a view to ensuring a safe return to normalcy across society.

The roles of the Committee include developing a strategic plan and identifying key performance indicators for the post-COVID-19 phase at targeted sectors to gauge the performance of the entities concerned with return to normalcy. Its responsibilities also include establishing an electronic data link for digital indicator-based statistics, in addition to identifying the financial and economic resources required for supporting the recovery phase, as well as any others roles or responsibilities it may be entrusted with.

While working on developing the strategic recovery plan, the Committee will focus on consolidating the strengths and competitive advantages of the UAE, especially the key focus sectors that are aligned with the National Priorities to ensure security and sustainability of vital sectors, such as Food; Water; Energy; and Pharmaceutical Industries. This is in addition to other promising sectors with significant growth prospects in the post-COVID-19 phase, including the advanced technologies, which enable digital transformation, such as Artificial Intelligence; 5G; healthcare; telecommunications; infrastructure; supply chains; and logistical services. The Committee also aims to meet domestic demand by boosting the local value-added content in a way that supports SMEs.

The UAE leads Arab nations and comes 37th globally in the COVID Economic Recovery Index Ranking, developed by the Horizon Research Group. A number of factors have contributed to attaining this top ranking, including synergy and concerted efforts while handling the health crisis; the availability of proactive crisis management plans; the government’s reliance on state-of-the-art technologies, an advanced infrastructure and institutional efficiency.

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