Dubai managed to place itself within the top 10 or 20 cities globally in more than 100 indicators related to safety and security in several internationally renowned competitiveness reports, according to a policy brief released recently by the Dubai Competitiveness Office in Dubai Economy as part of its mandate to publish research and spread awareness on the emirate’s competitiveness. The policy brief, titled ‘Safety and Security Competitiveness in Dubai: Why Dubai is ranked as one of the Safest Cities in the World’ presents and analyses the factors and elements that explain Dubai’s rise to becoming one of the world’s Safest Cities.

Considered the largest business city in the UAE by the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report, and regarded a major hub for the Middle East, Dubai utilised its fundamentals on safety and security to sustain its top rankings in competitiveness and set standards for effectively managing the global COVID-19 crisis.

“For decades, Dubai has demonstrated an utmost desire to maintain the UAE’s status as a secure haven. Progressive and ambitious socioeconomic reforms and strategies, including the numerous national plans continue to bring heavy investments and people to the emirate. The government and leadership emphasising safety and security of citizens, residents and visitors as a paramount objective plays a key role in attracting investors and the world’s leading talent to Dubai and enabling them to live, work and prosper here,” commented His Excellency Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of Dubai Economy.

Hani Al Hamli, Manager of Dubai Competitiveness Office, added: “Safety and security are integral to quality of life, which in turn is an essential element of the competitiveness Dubai emphasizes as its biggest advantage.   The policy brief clearly demonstrates Dubai’s commitment to the safety and security of its residents and citizens as well as to the overall integrity of the emirate and the nation as a whole. Dubai goes above and beyond to ensure that there is no safer place than within its border, and the message was particularly loud and clear during the COVID-19 phase.”

Dubai ranks 1st in more than 11 indicators on Personal Safety within different competitiveness indices, mainly the Safe Cities Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit where scores look at Personal, Infrastructure, Health and Digital safety, as well as the Smart Cities report by IMD World Competitiveness Center. The indicators where Dubai ranked first reflects the distinguished role of the local police and other institutions in prioritizing personal safety.

The policy brief also analyses the growing importance of Infrastructure as an enabler for safety and security and Dubai’s current performance. Ranked 1^st in Power Network as well as Hazard Monitoring, and 4^th in Road Network, amongst other indicators, the paper highlights how Dubai’s infrastructural efficiency is utilized to bolster public safety and security.”

In addition to leading infrastructure, Dubai’s Health Safety pillar has witnessed tremendous growth, and today stands as one of the most advanced in the region. The city is ranked 1^st in Emergency Services in the city, 5^th in Arranging Medical Appointments online and 7^th in Medical Services Provisions satisfaction, explaining why Dubai is on track to its placement as the heart of Medical Tourism in the region.

On the Digital Safety front, and with growing cyber-attacks around the world, Dubai is leading efforts in ensuring safety not just within its physical borders, but digitally as well. The emirate ranks 1^st in Dedicated Cyber Security teams and Levels of Technology Employed.

The paper illustrates how effectively Dubai has tackled the COVID-19phase, one of the most uncertain times in recent years. The UAE was one of the first in the world to instate a country-wide lockdown on the 22^nd of March 2020, and by July 2020 the UAE had one of the world’s highest tests per population, at 43.4 per 100 people, thanks to an extensive and ambitious campaign.

The policy brief also highlights the numerous technologies the government has levied to combat the pandemic. From utilising drones to conduct sterilisation campaigns to introducing specialised pressure tubes for transportation of COVID-positive patients, the paper underlines the readiness of Dubai and the UAE for any contingency scenarios. As a result of these initiatives, the UAE recorded one of the lowest fatality rates at 0.62%as of July 2020, relative to the 4.36% of the United States and 2.78% of India.

The policy brief clearly demonstrates Dubai’s commitment to the safety and security of its residents and citizens as well as to the overall integrity of the emirate and the nation as a whole. Today, Dubai does not stand amongst the safest cities in the world, but rather leads the pack. Regionally, it is seen as a prime example of well-constructed reforms, dynamic and progressive frameworks and ambitious national visions and strategies. Internationally, it is regarded as a success story- a story of how a once small city in the desert has grown into one of the most successful cities in the world.

Dubai Competitiveness Office is focusing on enhancing city competitiveness among the foremost cities globally by fostering a business environment that stimulates investment, offers unparalleled ease of business and reinforces the competitive advantage of Dubai in global markets.