Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has honoured Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, for more than three decades of dedication and public service, recognising him as a trusted companion throughout his years of service to the nation.
Al Gergawi received the Mohammed bin Rashid Sash during the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Forum, held on Tuesday at the Dubai World Trade Centre, which brought together 1,000 leaders from the government and private sectors.
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Sheikh Mohammed also presented the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Medal to Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, recognising his efforts to empower second- and third-tier leaders and develop the next generation of government executives.
"I was pleased to award the Mohammed bin Rashid Sash to one of our dedicated national executive leaders, my brother Mohammed Al Gergawi, who has accompanied me with perseverance, loyalty and dedication throughout three decades of my journey in serving the nation," Sheikh Mohammed wrote on X.
"Few people can truly be called companions on a journey, and Mohammed Al Gergawi is one of them," he added.
The Dubai Ruler praised Al Gergawi for his integrity, loyalty to the country and its leadership, and commitment to serving its people.
He said the recognition was well deserved, adding that he expected more from Al Gergawi in the years ahead.
Sheikh Mohammed also honoured Marwan bin Ghalita with the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Leadership, awarded to the best director-general in empowering second- and third-tier leaders.
"The best director-general does not make the institution revolve around himself but builds a team capable of carrying on after him. Congratulations to Marwan," Sheikh Mohammed said.
Al Gergawi pays tribute to Dubai Ruler's leadership
Earlier, in an address at the forum's opening session, Al Gergawi said Sheikh Mohammed had done more than transform Dubai into a global city. He had restored confidence in the region's ability to compete with the world.
Al Gergawi added that the greatest tribute to a leader who had devoted his life to work was not words of appreciation but a commitment to continue what he had started.
"The best message we can offer Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid is not what we say today, but what we do," he told the gathering.
He said Sheikh Mohammed's six decades of leadership could not be measured simply by airports, towers or individual projects, arguing that his most lasting achievement was building a society, a culture and a generation of people who believed they could succeed on the world stage.
"He taught us how to dream, then gave us the confidence to achieve those dreams. He taught us to think globally, that ambition is not limited by resources or geography, that people are the foundation, the mind is the resource and work is the method," Al Gergawi noted.
The minister recalled how Dubai had developed a diversified economy spanning trade, aviation, tourism, finance, technology and space at a time when much of the region was still viewed through the lens of conflict and oil wealth.
He added that Sheikh Mohammed had created a city that attracted people, companies and talent from around the world, reversing a long-standing pattern in which young Arabs had looked to the West for opportunities.
'Are people satisfied?'
Al Gergawi also lauded Sheikh Mohammed's approach to government, recalling his constant presence in the field, his attention to detail and his insistence that public services should be judged by the people using them.
"Are people satisfied?" was the question Sheikh Mohammed repeatedly asked, according to Al Gergawi.
He recalled how the Dubai Ruler challenged officials who believed certain goals were impossible, often responding with a simple question: "Why not?"
That approach, he said, changed the way government departments worked, encouraging faster decisions, greater accountability and a culture in which public service was treated as a responsibility rather than a privilege.
Al Gergawi noted that the same philosophy had spread beyond government to businesses, entrepreneurs and young people, helping establish Dubai's reputation for speed, ambition and execution.
Three decades alongside Sheikh Mohammed
Drawing on more than three decades of working alongside Sheikh Mohammed, Al Gergawi recalled witnessing some of the Dubai Ruler's most difficult decisions, his courage when others hesitated and his determination to act while others waited.
But it was also the personal moments that had stayed with him.
He highlighted how Sheikh Mohammed had personally followed up on medical treatment for a child whose family could not afford it, listened to people in need and enquired about vulnerable communities in Africa.
One memory stood out. Sheikh Mohammed was signing copies of his books for several leaders when he took another copy and wrote a special dedication to Al Gergawi's late mother, knowing how much she meant to him.
Such gestures, he said, revealed a side of Sheikh Mohammed that went beyond official duties.
"That is how I saw Sheikh Mohammed, a decisive leader, an inspiring teacher and a generous human being."
A promise to carry on
Al Gergawi also referred to Sheikh Mohammed's latest book, The Letters, the second part of Lessons from Life, which draws on six decades of leadership and includes messages to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, his brothers, the UAE people and others entrusted with serving the nation.
He emphasised that the book captured Sheikh Mohammed's belief that a leader's responsibility was not simply to build things for people, but to develop the people themselves.
Al Gergawi concluded his address with a message of gratitude and a commitment to preserve what Sheikh Mohammed had built.
"You wrote to us some of what life taught you, and today we tell you some of what you taught us. Thank you for believing in us, raising our ambitions and enabling us to achieve what we once thought impossible."
"You built us a city we are proud of, a society where we feel secure about our children's future, and a model that has inspired the world."
He pledged that Sheikh Mohammed's team would continue safeguarding those achievements and carrying forward Dubai's development.
"We will remain, as he always wanted us to be, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's team," Al Gergawi affirmed.