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Dubai Customs claims Brand Award from International Nobel Peace Recommendation Forum

December 16, 2014

 

Dubai Customs has enhanced its rich record of international credits, claiming the Brand Award in the category of ‘Star Companies /Organisations’ in government sector. The award is granted by the International Nobel Peace Recommendation Forum, in collaboration with the International Non-Olympic University.
H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs, dedicated the award to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. He said: “We present this new global recognition to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who always inspires us to continue working hard to uphold the name and image of the UAE as a haven of world-class achievements and a top contender in the global competitive race.” 
The honour trophy was presented to H.E. Ahmed Mahboob by H.E. Akram Sabry, INOU National Brand Ambassador for South Africa and Middle East, in the presence of award committee members. The awarding ceremony took place at Dubai Customs main building and was attended by Dubai Customs top officials, including Buti Al Jumairi, Executive Director of HR, Finance and Administration Division, Abdullah Mohammed Al Khaja, Executive Director of Customer Management Division, Saeed Ahmed Al Tayer, Acting Executive Director of Policies and Legislation Division, Yousuf Ozair, Director of Intellectual Property Department, and Khalil Saqer Bin Gharib, Director of Corporate Communication Department.
H.E. Ahmed Mahboob thanked the award committee members for recognising Dubai Customs efforts in all aspects, particularly in regard to IPR protection. He said: “We are pleased to earn this prestigious award, which is a recognition of Dubai Customs internationally-acclaimed status as a provider of top-quality customs services. Claiming the Brand Award crowns the efficiency of our customs services that continue to have a vibrant impact on the UAE’s and Dubai’s fast growing economies. Dubai Customs has actively contributed to enhancing Dubai’s foreign trade, which over the last ten years, experienced a five-time growth to stand at AED 1.329 trillion in 2013. This is in fulfilment of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision towards further diversification of our national economy; with trade sector being at the core of nation’s economic development.”   
The Director of Dubai Customs added that “Dubai Customs is extremely keen on effectively countering the risks of intellectual property rights’ infringements. In this regard, Dubai Customs made 291 seizures of IPR infringing goods (11 million items), valued at AED 34 million during the first eleven months of 2014. More than 950 seizures of IPR infringing goods took place between 2011 to 2013, with a value exceeding AED 65 million.”
“During 2014, we held 6 workshops on IPR protection so far. Moreover, Dubai Customs launched the 8th edition of the Award for the academic year 2014-2015. Since its initiation in 2007 till 2014, more than 100,000 students benefited from Dubai Customs’ IPR educational campaigns conducted as part of the awards program,” Mahboob noted.
Ahmed Mahboob further noted that the colossal projects continuously being launched in the UAE impose new challenges for Dubai Customs.
Akram Sabry, INOU National Brand Ambassador for South Africa and Middle East, underscored that Dubai Customs presents a bright image of the progress taking place in the UAE. He said: “Dubai  Customs deservedly won the National Brand Award  jointly awarded by the International Nobel Peace Prize Recommendation Forum (INPPRF) and the International Non-Olympic University (INOU), owing to its advanced quality level of customs services and facilitations and its distinguished smart systems of operation and inspection.”
He further noted that DC outclassed other nominees from local and regional Customs organizations to impress the judges and receive the award, mainly because of its outstanding track record of achievements and exceptional performance in Customs work.
Mr Sabry pointed out that in line with the cooperation between INOU and various institutions in the UAE, the first international peace forum held in the Middle East will be hosted in the UAE, jointly with INPPRF.
He further remarked that the INPPRF-INOU prestigious award is granted to organizations worldwide that show proven commitment to innovation and leadership in their area of operation.
The International Nobel Peace Prize Recommendation Forum is an independent non-governmental entity entrusted with presenting recommendations for the Nobel Peace Prize, in addition to consultancy and communication with other world peace organizations. On the other hand, the International Non-Olympic University (INOU) is an educational non-governmental organization that seeks  to offer top of the range online academic courses to students around the globe, with excellent focus on research and new learning tools.
Commenting on the award, Saeed Ahmed Al Tayer, Acting Executive Director of the Policies and Legislation Division, said “Winning this award has only renewed our commitment to stepping-up our performance and leveraging the level of our smart services and systems, which are driven by employees’ creative initiatives and fresh ideas.”
“Dubai Customs’ current and future plans stem from the UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai Strategic Plan 2021, as making customers happy is now the focus of these plans, as directed by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed,” he added.
Talking about the Dubai Customs’ IP Award, Yousuf Ozair, IPR Director at Dubai Customs, said that “Since its initiation in 2007, the awards brought together 111 schools from all over the country, and 16 universities joined its official competition for the last three editions from 2010 to 2012. Dubai Customs’ IP Award is aimed at instilling the spirit of competition and innovation among the applicants and raising their awareness of intellectual property rights. We have indeed received valuable fresh ideas that support our fright against counterfeit goods.”
In 2006, he added, Dubai Customs took the initiative to establish a unified team to coordinate between governmental authorities in relation to intellectual property rights’ protection. This team consists of 12 local and federal government authorities, as their representatives periodically meet to discuss and develop mechanisms for coordination and exchanging information and experiences, to reach the best governmental performance level in IP protection. The team earned the DGEP award for best government project category in its 2008-2009 edition.