In his capacity as the Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, has enacted Decree No. (48) of 2024. This decree establishes the Dubai Resilience Centre, a newly formed public entity designed to enhance Dubai’s reputation as one of the most agile cities globally in managing risks, emergencies, crises, and disasters.
This initiative aims to boost the emirate’s capabilities in crisis and disaster management. The Decree empowers the new entity, which operates under the auspices of Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management, with the legal authority to undertake necessary actions and transactions to achieve its objectives.
The Decree delineates the Centre’s primary goals, which include positioning Dubai as the world’s foremost agile city in responding to a variety of risks, emergencies, crises, and disasters. It emphasizes the importance of proactive measures to prevent and address such incidents while ensuring swift recovery when they occur. Additionally, the Centre will coordinate and direct collaborative efforts to effectively manage any incidents and will support the Supreme Committee’s initiatives in this area.
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Key responsibilities
The Decree specifies the responsibilities of the Dubai Resilience Centre, which include developing and preparing a resilience plan, supporting policies, strategic procedures, and the overarching framework for crisis resilience within Dubai. This will be done in collaboration with the Executive Committee of the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management and relevant Dubai authorities, with submissions made to the Supreme Committee for approval by The Executive Council of Dubai. Moreover, the Centre will measure performance indicators and track progress in executing approved plans and programmes, providing regular reports to the Supreme Committee.
Furthermore, the Centre will oversee a central operations platform for crisis and disaster management and create online connections with pertinent authorities in Dubai to fulfill its mission. It will also forge partnerships and cooperation agreements with specialized entities at local, regional, and international levels to support its objectives.
Additionally, the Centre will gather and analyze data from relevant authorities to conduct studies and forecasts that inform the development of plans and scenarios addressing threats, risks, emergencies, crises, and disasters. It aims to implement effective response strategies and propose initiatives and programmes that raise awareness about the significance of crisis preparedness and effective management techniques.
The Centre will also develop simulations and scenario-based exercises to enhance readiness for managing risks, emergencies, crises, and disasters. It will document outcomes and lessons learned, submitting these for approval to the Supreme Committee.
Executive structure
The Decree outlines the executive framework of the Dubai Resilience Centre, which will be led by an Executive Director appointed by the Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai. Key responsibilities of this role include proposing policies and strategic plans aligned with Dubai’s objectives for approval by the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management, overseeing policy implementation, establishing performance targets, measuring progress, and coordinating with relevant authorities to formulate improvement plans.
Decree No. (48) of 2024 mandates that all governmental and non-governmental entities in Dubai fully cooperate with the Centre, providing the necessary support, data, information, documentation, statistics, and studies as requested to facilitate its operations.
His Highness the Chairman of the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management will issue the necessary decisions to execute the provisions of this Decree. Any conflicting provisions from other legislation will be rendered null and void.
The Decree takes effect immediately upon issuance and will be published in the Official Gazette.
