The Supreme Legislation Committee Successfully Concludes Legislative Work in Dubai: Principles and Practices

The Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate of Dubai (SLC) has successfully concluded the fourth round of its training programme: "Legislative Work in Dubai: Principles and Practices" organised in coordination with the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG). The training programme has received wide participation from legal professionals involved in preparing and drafting legislation from 50 government entities in Dubai. The specialised training programme has been widely welcomed and commended by the government legal professionals being a pioneering initiative to develop an integrated training system for the development of an effective legislative process in line with the directives of the wise leadership to improve the efficiency of government work and upgrade government services, with the ultimate objective of achieving happiness for the people and meeting their needs and expectations.

With more than 100 participants, the programme which was held in four consecutive rounds, was aimed at pushing forward the Dubais development process through adopting the international legislative best practices. The programme was carefully designed to introduce participants to the recognised methods and techniques for preparing and drafting legislation in line with the Emirates policies and strategies. The programme also covered topics related to the actual legislative practices in Dubai focusing on ways of developing the legislative processes and standardising legislation-drafting rules and procedures with a view to issuing legislation that is consistent with the objective of Dubai Plan 2021 namely, A Pioneering and Excellent Government proactively meeting the needs of individuals in the community and achieving happiness for all.

H.E. Ahmad bin Meshar Al Muhairi, SLC Secretary General, said: "The programme Legislative Work in Dubai" has given a strong impetus to the efforts of developing an efficient and solid legislative process, ensuring proper implementation of the legislation in force, and establishing the rule of law, reiterating the SLCs commitment to developing and conducting more training programmes to promote sound understanding by local Government entities of the legislation in force in Dubai to ensure compliance with, and proper implementation of, legislation in line with the SLC vision in building an integrated legislative system that supports sustainable development plans in Dubai.

Al Muhairi added: The specialised training programme has set an integrated framework for closer collaboration in legislative work between the SLC and all government entities in Dubai to develop a legislative system that supports the government drive to excellence, under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, may Allah keep him safe, who has inspired all government entities to compete in serving the people. We are pleased to conclude this successful four-round programme which has brought legal professionals from more than 50 local government entities up to speed with the latest legislative knowledge, skills and best practices, empowering them to effectively contribute to creating a transparent and reliable government that embraces continued development and observes fair implementation of legislation to protect the rights of all individuals and institutions in harmony with the Dubai Plan 2021.

For his part, H.E. Dr. Ali bin Saba Al Marri, CEO of the MBRSG, said: "Building an integrated and effective legislative system requires providing public sector employees with knowledge on the principles and rules of drafting legislation; the social and economic variables that warrant proposing amendments to existing legislation; and means of assessing the potential outcomes of such legislation and its impact on those to whom it applies."

He added: "The importance of conducting these training programmes lies in that they bring together participants from various government entities and provide them with an opportunity to share opinions and raise queries on the legislation in force and how it responds to the challenges of a rapidly changing reality. Continuous training is an effective means of developing the knowledge and skills of participants, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that justice is achieved for all members of the community not only in Dubai but also in the UAE. "

The programme, organised in coordination with the MBRSG, addressed three topics. Under the first topic, Legal advisor Mohammed Al Etawi, Head of the Technical Office of the SLC General Secretariat, reviewed the standards and rules of drafting legislation with a focus on legislation preparation and proposal requirements as well as procedures for submission of draft legislation in Dubai. Moreover, Dr. Yahya Adwan, a legal advisor at the SLC General Secretariat, presented the Legislation Preparation Procedures, describing the procedures for issuing local legislation including how to propose and submit it. He also pointed out procedures for reviewing draft federal legislation and related standards and forms.

Under the second topic titled The Technical Principles of Legislative Drafting in Dubai, the importance of legislation drafting for the achievement of the legislative objectives was highlighted. The SLCs aspirations for optimal legislative drafting were also introduced. Mr. Al Etawi gave a presentation on how to prepare a draft legislation, focusing on the structure, requirements, and technical aspects of a legislative text. Al Etawi also gave examples of some common drafting errors and ways of addressing them. The linguistic aspects of legislative drafting were presented by Mr. Salem Al Ahmed, Head of Research and Publications Section at the SLC General Secretariat, who focused on language use and spelling standards in drafting up-to-standard legislation. Al Ahmed elaborated on the common errors in drafting legislation, giving illustrative examples. He enumerated a number of important terms that should be used when drafting legislation.

The programme falls within the framework of the strategic partnership between the SLC and the MBRSG aimed at pushing forward the development of legislative process in Dubai and consolidating the role of legislation in improving the performance of local government entities. The fourth round of the training programme was conducted at the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government, and facilitated by the SLC experts and advisors. The learning objectives included developing effective legislation drafting strategies, avoiding common mistakes in the preparation of legislation proposals, and acquiring an in-depth understanding of the role of legislation in promoting Government strategies and policies.