Mohamed Hassan Al-Skaf stepped off the plane in Dubai with a clear agenda: get inside the machinery of the UAE's digital government and see what Syria can take home. The UAE government extended the invitation, framing the visit as part of its Government Experience Exchange Programme (GEEP). That initiative, running since 2018, puts the UAE's modernization and public service overhaul on display for partner states willing to learn-and adapt.
Al-Skaf didn't waste time. He sat down with UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi and Cabinet Secretary General Maryam bint Ahmed Al Hammadi. The meetings drilled into how Syria might tap the UAE's digital transformation and policy know-how to speed up its own reforms. Al Gergawi laid out the UAE's approach to building up human capital and rolling out advanced tech, including artificial intelligence, across government. The official line, as reported in recent WAM coverage, is that the UAE stands ready to share its models and technical expertise.
Al-Skaf's session with Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director General of Digital Dubai, pulled back the curtain on the city's digital backbone. They broke down how Dubai links government systems and data, and how it keeps public services moving online. The Syrians pressed for details on measuring results and keeping momentum in government accelerators. The talks stretched into policy, legislative tweaks, and the nuts and bolts of cutting red tape-mirroring the UAE's broad reform push.
Abdullah Ali bin Zayed Al Falasi, who runs Dubai's Government Human Resources Department, joined the agenda. The focus shifted to workforce policy and the digital HR system that underpins Dubai's public sector. Al-Skaf mapped out Syria's own HR modernization drive, looking to graft Dubai's tested methods onto Syrian structures. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority hosted a separate session on building technical skills, with both sides agreeing to connect their teams for hands-on work.
The timing of the visit tracks with a warming trend in UAE-Syria relations. In September, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa met in Abu Dhabi to push economic and development ties, as covered by The National. On 8 October 2026, the two leaders spoke again by phone, locking in another round of economic cooperation, according to ARN News Centre and official UAE statements.
These moves fall under the UAE Government Knowledge Exchange Programme, now a fixture in the country's foreign engagement. The stated goal: tailor the UAE's modernization playbook to fit Syrian government needs. But so far, no public word on signed agreements, mapped-out roadmaps, or funding. Emirates News Agency and other Tier-1 outlets confirm the absence of concrete deals at this stage.
Dubai's public sector overhaul has drawn attention before, especially with the 360 Policy that slashed bureaucracy and put residents at the center of service delivery. The UAE is also prepping new government service reforms, betting on proactive AI and integrated user experiences. Those projects, however, are running on a separate track from the Syrian visit, as noted by The National and Dubai Media Office.
What cuts through the diplomatic noise is the UAE's open-door stance on sharing its digital government toolkit, and Syria's push to extract real, workable lessons. Dubai keeps pitching itself as the region's testbed for government innovation. These exchanges move past protocol and into the operational trenches. No signed deals yet, but Syria's deep dive into Dubai's digital systems marks a live test of whether these knowledge swaps can spark actual change.
