Dubai, United Arab Emirates –25 June 2026 The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA Dubai) honoured the winners of the 14th edition of the "Banner of Excellence Award" for 2025–2026 during a ceremony held in the presence of His Excellency Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of GDRFA Dubai; Her Excellency Hessa Buhumaid, Director General of the Community Development Authority; His Excellency Abdullah bin Zayed, Director General of the Dubai Government Human Resources Department; His Excellency Dr. Loai Mohammed Belhoul, Director General of the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department and Member of the Executive Council; Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, Deputy Director General of GDRFA Dubai; Dr. Mohammed Abdulwahab Al Ansari, Director of the Strategy Office at the Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation in Dubai (Awqaf Dubai); and Mr. Ahmed Abdulkarim Al Fahim, Director of the Strategy and Institutional Excellence Office and Chairman of the Excellence Committee at Dubai Sports Council, along with Assistant Directors General, a number of officials from the participating entities, senior officers, and employees.
The 14th edition of the "Banner of Excellence Award" recorded a notable level of nominations and evaluation activity, receiving 102 nomination applications across 14 institutional categories and 17 individual categories. The submissions underwent a comprehensive evaluation process conducted by 14 evaluators, with a total of 125 evaluation hours, reflecting the maturity of the award’s methodology and GDRFA Dubai’s commitment to reinforcing accurate and objective standards for measuring institutional and individual performance.
The award results culminated in honoring 55 winners across various job categories, along with a number of winning sectors, in addition to 9 special recognitions, in appreciation of models that demonstrated excellence in performance, commitment to developing the work ecosystem, and the ability to transform daily efforts into tangible institutional impact.
The ceremony also included 4 special recognitions for national talents who graduated from the professional environment of GDRFA Dubai and later transitioned to other government entities, in recognition of their distinguished career journeys and as a reflection of the institution’s role in nurturing and exporting leadership talents and specialized competencies to the government sector, contributing to knowledge exchange and reinforcing integration across government work.
His Excellency Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri affirmed that the "Banner of Excellence Award" represents one of the key pillars in embedding a culture of distinguished performance within GDRFA Dubai, noting that excellence is no longer a short-term objective, but an integrated institutional approach aligned with the aspirations of the wise leadership to build a government ecosystem that is more future-ready, innovative, and sustainable.
His Excellency said: "GDRFA Dubai’s continued achievements are the result of the efforts of teams who believe that excellence is a shared responsibility and a daily work culture. We believe that true investment lies in empowering talent and recognising those behind initiatives and ideas that make a difference, inspire innovation and creativity, and contribute to developing the work system."
His Excellency crowned the Entry Permits and Residence Sector with the “Banner of Excellence” in the 14th edition of the award, as the sector that achieved the highest level of recognition within the award framework. This achievement reflects the sector’s performance maturity, integrated efforts, and ability to translate excellence standards into tangible institutional results that support GDRFA Dubai’s development journey.
During the ceremony, the sectors that secured first-place positions were also announced, including the Human Resources and Finance Sector, the Identity and Citizenship Affairs Sector, the Sea and Land Ports Affairs Sector, the Air Ports Affairs Sector, the Violators and Foreigners Follow-up Sector, the Entry Permits and Residence Sector, the Governance and Regulatory Oversight Sector, the Labour Relations Regulation Sector, and the Digital Services Sector, in recognition of their outstanding results across various areas of institutional performance.
The ceremony concluded with the honouring of the winners and distinguished participants in celebration of their achievements and contributions to supporting the development journey, reaffirming GDRFA Dubai’s continued commitment to strengthening a culture of excellence and consolidating its position as an institutional model in performance excellence and sustainable development.
