The Government of Abu Dhabi ( ar, حكومة أبوظبي) is the subnational authority that governs the

Emirate of Abu Dhabi The Emirate of Abu Dhabi (, , or ; ar, إِمَارَةْ أَبُوظَبِي , ) is one of seven emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is by far the largest emirate, accounting for 87% of the nation's total land area o ...

, one of the seven constituent monarchies which make up the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. The executive authority and head of the government is the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The ruler of Abu Dhabi appoints the Abu Dhabi Executive Council (ADEC), which is tasked with overseeing and managing the Abu Dhabi governmental departments and agencies.

History

The Emirate of Abu Dhabi had an informal government directly ruled by the ruler of Abu Dhabi since the Bani Yas confederation settled the emirate in 1761. The Emirate would remain informally ruled following the signing of the first agreement with the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

in 1892. The ruler of Abu Dhabi would appoint representatives for Al Ain and other western regions, a position held by Sheikh

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar, زَايِد بِن سُلْطَان آل نَهْيَان, Zāyed bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati politician, statesman, and philanthropist who served as ...

in 1946 prior to becoming the ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966 and establishing the first agency of what would be later reformed into the Abu Dhabi government, the Abu Dhabi Planning Council.

Organisation

The ruler of Abu Dhabi is the absolute monarch of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and has the sole authority to issue decrees establishing governmental departments, issuing and amending laws and is the

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...

. Abu Dhabi governmental departments or agencies are formed by royal decree by the emir, or the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and enforced and overseen by the ADEC. ADEC is responsible for all regions of the emirate which have their own entities such as Al Ain Municipality. As of August 2022, there were 33 agencies, departments, and entities of the Abu Dhabi government.

Departments and agencies

Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority Abu Dhabi Judicial Department Abu Dhabi Housing Authority Abu Dhabi Police Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council Department of Community Development Department of Culture and Tourism Department of Economic Development Department of Education and Knowledge Department of Energy Department of Finance Department of Health Department of Municipalities and Transport Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi General Administration of Customs - Abu Dhabi Human Resources Authority

Jurisdiction

The

UAE Constitution The Constitution of the United Arab Emirates ( ar, دستور دولة الامارات العربية المتحدة, ) provides a legal and political framework for the operation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a federation of seven emirates ...

allows each emirate to maintain its own local government, separate from the federal government of the UAE, and the authority to interpret federal law and issue local regulations to enforce them. Similar to the

Government of Dubai The Government of Dubai ( ar, حكومة دبي) is the subnational authority that governs the Emirate of Dubai, one of the seven constituent monarchies which make up the United Arab Emirates. The executive authority and head of the government is th ...

, the Abu Dhabi government maintain vast autonomy from the federal government, with jurisdiction over

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...

, education, economic policy, energy management and is only one of three emirates with its own separate judicial system and independent Court of Cassation.

Abu Dhabi Executive Council

The Abu Dhabi Executive Council is the main executive governing organ of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, being responsible for enforcing local laws and interpreting and enforcing UAE federal law. The ADEC is responsible for overseeing the work and day-to-day management of Abu Dhabi governmental departments alongside issuing resolutions to appoint governmental heads and resolutions for actual application of laws. All governmental departments report to the ADEC, and membership of the ADEC primarily includes the heads of local governmental departments. Since 2004, the chairman of the ADEC has been Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan who was appointed as crown prince of Abu Dhabi and continues to serve as chairman following his assumption of the position of ruler of Abu Dhabi and

president of the UAE The president of the United Arab Emirates, or the Raʾīs ( ar, رَئِيْس), is the head of state of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The president and vice-president are elected every five years by the Federal Supreme Council. Though the ...

in May 2022.

Abu Dhabi Executive Office

established the Abu Dhabi Executive Office (ADEO) as an independent entity, replacing the Secretariat of the ADEC with a task of supporting the ADEC in administrative duties, legal opinions, researching proposals provided by governmental departments, contracting third-party consultants, and publishing the official gazette. The chairman of the Executive Office also assumes a seat at the ADEC. Since 2019, the ADEO has been led by Sheikh

Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ( ar, خالد بن محمد بن زايد آل نهيان); born on 8 January 1982) is an Emirati political leader and a member of Abu Dhabi's ruling Al Nahyan family. He is a member of Abu Dhab ...

References

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External links

Official website

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...