Law No. (18) of 2019 Concerning Abu Dhabi Executive Office

Article 1 — In the implementation of the provisions of this Law, the following words and ¶

phrases shall have the meanings corresponding thereto unless the context
requires otherwise:
Emirate : The Emirate of Abu Dhabi
Executive Council : The Executive Council of the Emirate
Office: : Abu Dhabi Executive Office
Chairman : The Chairman of the Office
General
Secretariat
: The General Secretariat of the Executive Council
Secretary General : The Secretary General of the Executive Council

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Committees of the
Executive Council
: Abu Dhabi Strategic Affairs Committee, the Executive
Committee and any other committee emanating
therefrom
Governmental
Entities
: The public departments, authorities and institutions
as well as the bodies, centres, councils, funds and
any other entity affiliated to the government.
Governmental
Companies
: The companies owned by the government at a
percentage exceeding 50% of the Company’s capital
except for the companies owned by Abu Dhabi
Development Holding Company.

Article 2 — • The Office shall have a legal independent personality, enjoy full legal ¶

capacity to act and be affiliated to the Executive Council. The Office shall
be considered as the legal successor of the General Secretariat and all the
assets, properties, rights and obligations of the latter shall be transferred
thereto.
• The employees of the General Secretariat shall be transferred to the Office
without prejudice to any of their financial rights.
• The Office shall be presided by a Chairman at the grade of a Chairman of
a Department, to be appointed by an Amiri Decree. He shall be a member
of the Executive Council.

Article 3 — The Office shall be the authority in charge of supporting the Executive ¶

Council as well as its Committees. The Office shall in particular assume the
following:
1. Study and review the applications and topics submitted to the
Executive Council and its Committees, and submit the appropriate
recommendations in preparation for submittal thereof to take the
decisions required to this effect.

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2. Study the topics ordered by the Executive Council or its Chairman
and follow up on the implementation of the instructions issued in their
regard.
3. Support the Executive Council and its Committees in the management
of meetings, the drafting and issuance of resolutions.
4. Provide support to the members of the Executive Council including
the establishment of offices thereto – if necessary – following the
approval of the Executive Council. The Office shall provide financial and
administrative support to such offices, including seeking the assistance
of experts, institutions and consulting offices.
5. Provide legal opinion on the topics submitted to the Executive Council
and its Committees.
6. Study, suggest and prepare local and Federal draft laws as well as the
decrees, resolutions, regulations and agreements and present them to
the Executive Council and its Committees.
7. Prepare and issue the Official Gazette of the Emirate.
8. Follow up on the implementation of the legislations and resolutions
issued by the Executive Council and its Committees.
9. Support the Executive Council and its Committees regarding the
development and improvement of the governmental performance in the
various sectors.
10. Prospect opportunities and future challenges in all fields, lay down the
plans required to this effect and submit them to the Executive Council
or its delegate for approval.
11. Manage Abu Dhabi Award for Excellence in Government Performance.
12. Propose the standards for Abu Dhabi Award for Excellence in Government
Performance and submit the results thereof to the Executive Council or
its delegate for approval.
13. Organise the communications channels of the Executive Council and its
Committees.
14. Oversee the diplomatic protocol and affairs in coordination with the

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concerned local and Federal entities and other entities, lay down the
policies and strategies thereof, and oversee the implementation thereof.
15. Any other competencies or tasks assigned thereto by the Executive Council.

Article 4 — • The Chairman shall have the power to oversee the functions of the Office ¶

and shall be liable for such functions before the Executive Council. He
shall in particular assume the following competencies:
1. Approve the public policy of the office, obtain the approval of the
Executive Council thereon and supervise the implementation thereof.
2. Issue the financial and administrative regulations of the Office, including
the human resources regulations, following the approval of the Executive
Council.
3. Approve the annual draft budget of the Office and obtain the approval of
the Executive Council thereon.
4. Approve the organisational structure of the Office and obtain the approval
of the Executive Council thereon.
5. Represent the Office before courts and third parties.
6. Appoint and terminate the service of employees in accordance with the
applicable legislations.
7. Appoint experts, consultants and technicians on a temporary or
permanent basis, determine their remuneration and seek the assistance
of any experts, institutions and consulting offices as the Chairman finds
appropriate.
8. Sign contracts, agreements and memoranda of understanding with third
parties in accordance with the applicable legislations.
9. Open bank accounts in the name of the Office at the banks, manage and
operate such accounts in accordance with the regulations adopted at
the Office.
10. Any other competencies assigned thereto by the Executive Council.
• The Chairman may delegate some of his competencies to senior employees
of the Office.

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Article 5 — The Executive Council shall approve the controls for issuing and signing the ¶

resolutions of the Executive Council and its Committees, provided that such
controls are issued by an Executive Council resolution with the signature of
the Chairman of the Office.

Article 6 — • The General Secretariat shall be responsible for supporting the Executive ¶

Council and its Committees in the preparation and management of
meetings as well as the arrangement of sessions, the preparation of
agenda, the maintenance of minutes of meetings and all the documents.
• The General Secretariat shall have a Secretary General who is at the grade
of an undersecretary of a department and reporting to the Chairman, he
shall in particular assume the following competencies:
1. Attend the meetings of the Executive Council and its Committees in
accordance with the mechanism adopted by the Executive Council.
2. Make sure that the topics are studied before presenting them to the
Executive Council and its Committees.
3. Supervise the preparation of the agenda of the Executive Council and its
Committees.
4. Supervise the preparation of the minutes of the meetings of the Executive
Council and its Committees and make sure that such minutes were
approved in preparation for the issuance of necessary resolutions.
5. Any other competencies assigned thereto by the Executive Council or the
Chairman.
• The Office shall provide the support required for the General Secretariat
to assume its competencies related to support services, including Human
Resources, financial, procurement and electronic systems affairs as well
as other activities and services related to institutional affairs.

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Article 7 — • The Office shall have a Director-General reporting to the Secretary General ¶

and in charge of conducting the daily work at the Office, and shall in
particular assume the following competencies:
1. Coordinate with the Secretary General to submit the topics for presentation
to the Executive Council and its Committees.
2. Control the performance of the organisational units in assuming all their
administrative competencies except for the organisational units reporting
to the Chairman.
3. Propose the public policy of the Office
4. Propose the financial and administrative regulations of the Office including
the Human Resouces regulations.
5. Propose the annual draft budget of the Office.
6. Propose the organisational structure of the Office.
7. Any other tasks assigned thereto by the Chairman.

Article 8 — The financial resources of the Office shall consist of the following: ¶

• The financial appropriations allocated thereto by Abu Dhabi government.
• Any other revenues approved by the Executive Council.

Article 9 — The fiscal year of the Office shall start on the first of January and end on the ¶

last day of December of each year.

Article 10 — The Office shall have one external accredited auditor or more to verify the ¶

financial accounts and statements of the Office. They shall be appointed by
a resolution of the Chairman determining as well their remuneration.

Article 11 — All the Governmental Entities and Companies shall commit to provide the ¶

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Office with all the needed information, documents and statements related
to its functions and competencies.

Article 12 — • The rules and regulations applicable at the Office and General Secretariat ¶

shall remain in force until the issuance of the financial and administrative
rules and regulations in accordance with the provisions of this Law.
• The aforesaid Law No. (3) of 2018 and Law No. (4) of 2018 shall be
repealed.
• Any provision contrary to the provisions of this Law shall be repealed.

Article 13 — This Law shall be effective from the date of its issuance and published in the ¶

Official Gazette.
Issued by us in Abu Dhabi
On: 25 April 2019
Corresponding to: 19 Shaaban 1440 Hijri
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Ruler of Abu Dhabi

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