Sheikh Mohammed launches National Behavioural Reward Programme

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has launched a new National Behavioural Reward Programme within the country.

The programme aims to incentivise positive behaviour through a point-based system that can be used in payments for government services, and is a first-of-its-kind initiative in behavioural science, focusing on three main pillars – homeland, society and family.

One of the initiatives of the Department of Behavioural Rewards of the Ministry of Possibilities, the programme focuses on spreading the message of behavioural science and adopting its outcomes, to empower the entire community. It also encourages them to adopt positive behaviours, support families, promote community interaction, and bolster the economy, as well as achieve the country’s comprehensive development. Over 90 behaviours were selected for the strategy.

Sheikh Mohammed has assigned Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, to lead the behavioural rewards management team, as part of the responsibilities of the Ministry of Possibilities.

The Prime Minister also launched the smart app for the Behavioural Reward Programme (Fazaa). The app is an additional technical tool that maximises the benefits of the programme by facilitating and easing accessibility for the targeted segments of the community.

The launch of the National Behavioural Reward Programme as the first comprehensive programme will be run in cooperation with a number of partners in the private sector.

“Encouraging positive behaviour contributes to improving the quality of life and achieving the happiness of society. Our inherent values have always been a hallmark of the Emirati personality,” said Sheikh Mohammed.

He also witnessed the graduation of the first batch of the Professional Diploma in Behavioral Economics, one of the programme’s initiatives. The course aims to qualify the participants and develop their skills in analysing and motivating positive behaviour, in order to raise the level of UAE society and government readiness, reported state news agency WAM.

This batch will be the first to launching initiatives and building projects that apply the concept of positive behavioural change for members of society across fields.