Dubai's future law writers get a new team

For the government professionals who will sit on Dubai’s newly formed Dubai Future Regulations Team, the work ahead is concrete: learning to write laws for technologies that do not yet fully exist. That human dimension sat at the heart of the launch, when His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation, attended the announcement of the team’s formation.

The people chosen for this task will not work alone. Team members are set to take part in a comprehensive capacity-building programme run in collaboration with University College London (UCL). The curriculum includes specialised workshops, discussions with experts, and international visits to study how other countries approach legislative development and innovation. The aim, according to the announcement, is to equip government professionals with the tools needed to develop policies, legislation, regulations and regulatory decisions, and to deepen the government’s understanding of emerging technologies and the economic and societal transformations that come with them.

Behind those individuals stands a wider structure. The team was established under the supervision of Dubai Future Foundation and the Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate of Dubai, and it brings together representatives from 25 government entities. The stated purpose is to strengthen collaboration across government, so that participating entities working as one team can create an integrated framework for testing, adopting and implementing legislation on a wider scale.

The launch itself drew senior figures from across the government. His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, attended, as did His Excellency Ahmad Saeed bin Meshar, Secretary General of the Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate of Dubai, and His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation. A number of directors general and senior officials were also present.

In his remarks, Sheikh Hamdan framed the effort in terms of what it means for people living and working in a city that is changing quickly. Dubai, he said, will continue developing a global model for legislative readiness that responds to rapid technological advances, strengthens economic competitiveness and supports sustainable growth. “Dubai is leading the race among global cities to develop future-ready legislation,” he said. “We believe that building a successful future economy requires flexible legislation that can evolve in response to economic transformation and rapid advances in innovation and technology.”

He went further, describing a shift in how legislation itself should be treated. “We want legislative innovation to become an integrated institutional practice, driven by collaboration between Dubai’s public and private sectors,” he said. “Legislation must evolve beyond its traditional role of regulating sectors to become a key driver of economic growth and Dubai’s leadership in global competitiveness.”

For the sectors the team will serve, the day-to-day agenda is spelled out in the announcement. The team aims to anticipate legislative opportunities and challenges across various sectors, to strengthen legislative expertise and capabilities within government entities, and to expand local and international partnerships so that Dubai’s legislative framework remains ready for future developments and opportunities. Members will also explore new opportunities to develop legislation in response to the current and future needs of different sectors, analysing existing legislative barriers, identifying future development priorities, and developing practical solutions efficiently within responsible regulatory frameworks.

The work is intended to produce tangible outputs. As part of its push on legislative readiness, the team will develop recommendations and practical regulatory solutions supporting the future of Dubai’s key sectors, reinforcing the emirate’s position as a global model for government innovation and legislative readiness. Working closely with relevant government entities, team members will identify legislative challenges and opportunities in priority sectors, and develop recommendations and practical solutions that strengthen the flexibility of Dubai’s legislative framework and its readiness for future transformations. For the officials involved, the message of the launch was that this preparation begins now, and the first test will come when the team turns its training toward laws for technologies still taking shape.