ABU DHABI, 12th November, 2026 (WAM) -- The UAE Ministry of Finance held its Digital Participation Forum today at Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi under the theme “In Zayed’s Footsteps – Consulting Today, Shaping Tomorrow”.
The forum aimed to strengthen direct engagement with different segments of society and explore how digital participation tools and mechanisms could help shape federal financial policies and services.
The event drew broad participation from Ministry leaders and representatives of government entities, alongside a select group of senior citizens, young people, People of Determination and entrepreneurs.
The forum forms part of the Ministry’s efforts to give the community a greater role in developing its services and digital channels while fostering closer institutional collaboration with its partners. It aims to identify priorities, learn from successful experiences across government and turn customer feedback and suggestions into opportunities for improvement that can be evaluated and implemented.
The discussions also focused on improving digital accessibility and making it easier for people from all segments of society to participate. Other priorities included exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) could simplify the submission of feedback and suggestions, and promoting greater transparency by publishing consultation results and showing participants how their contributions have made a difference.
Sustaining progress across the financial ecosystem
Younis Haji AlKhoori, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, said in his opening address at the forum: “Informed and responsible participation is a fundamental pillar of building trust and enhancing government performance. The Ministry of Finance has made digital participation an integral part of its institutional practices and an effective tool for developing policies and services, recognising that listening to diverse perspectives and experiences contributes to better decision-making and ensures that decisions are aligned with the needs of society.”
He added: “The Ministry ranked first among federal entities in the Digital Participation Index for 2024–2025, reflecting its commitment to strengthening community engagement and enhancing channels of communication and interaction with different segments of society. This achievement also reinforces the role of digital participation in supporting decision-making and the development of government policies and services.”
He emphasised that the next phase calls for further development of digital participation tools, improved digital accessibility and greater use of modern technologies and artificial intelligence to expand opportunities for participation and make them more accessible.
He also stressed the importance of greater transparency in communicating consultation outcomes and explaining how feedback is used, thereby strengthening trust and partnership between government and society and supporting the continued development of the financial system.
The forum featured two dialogue sessions examining different aspects of government communication and community participation.
The first, titled “Shura and Community Participation: The Values of Consultation and the Prospects for Digital Participation – Bringing Perspectives Together in Decision-Making”, explored how the UAE’s longstanding tradition of consultation can be carried forward through modern digital participation.
The discussion focused on bringing government and community perspectives together in financial decision-making, fostering a lasting culture of dialogue and ensuring that decisions respond to the priorities and aspirations of the public.
The second session, “From the Majlis of Yesterday to Digital Participation Today… Voices Together in Decision-Making”, brought senior citizens, young participants from the Ministry of Finance’s “Leaders of Finance” initiative and representatives of People of Determination into an interactive dialogue.
The discussion connected the experience of senior citizens, drawn from the majlis traditions of the UAE’s Founding Fathers, with young people’s perspectives and the experiences of People of Determination in expressing their views independently and participating through digital channels.
Together, participants explored how their shared suggestions could be translated into practical solutions to improve government services and working procedures.
Through its sessions and discussions, the forum sought to generate proposals that would help set priorities for developing the Ministry’s services and digital channels, while identifying opportunities for closer consultation and collaboration with its partners.
The discussions also aimed to identify topics for future public consultations and explore innovative ways to use AI to make participation easier. A further priority was to improve transparency in reporting consultation results and demonstrating their impact on service development and government financial decision-making.
The forum concluded with a tour of Zayed National Museum, where participants explored its galleries and notable features and learnt about the cultural and historical heritage it preserves.