Paraguay Honored with Most Reformed Government Global Award at World Governments Summit 2026
In a landmark moment at the World Governments Summit 2026 in Dubai, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presented His Excellency Santiago Peña Palacios, President of the Republic of Paraguay, with the Most Reformed Government Global Award. This esteemed accolade stands among the summit’s highest honors, symbolizing significant progress in government reform, innovation, and excellence.
The prestigious ceremony, attended by dignitaries including Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, and numerous sheikhs, ministers, and global leaders, highlighted Paraguay’s achievements in transforming its governmental framework. The summit itself, running from 3rd to 5th February, draws high-level global participation and serves as a unique platform to showcase transformative government models.
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan underscored the importance of advancing government capabilities as an essential pillar for nations aspiring to secure a prosperous future. He emphasized:
“I congratulate the Republic of Paraguay and His Excellency President Santiago Peña Palacios on this well-deserved recognition with the Most Reformed Government Global Award. Paraguay has set an inspiring example of advancing government work based on efficiency, excellence, innovation, transparency, and good governance. I wish Paraguay and all nations around the world further success in serving their societies and driving prosperity and progress.”
— Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
He further noted that the World Governments Summit reflects the UAE’s vision to provide a global forum for dialogue, partnerships, and the exchange of knowledge, ultimately facilitating the sharing of the world’s best government practices and innovative models.
Recognizing Reform, Innovation, and Impact
The Most Reformed Government Global Award recognizes countries that set leading global standards in governance quality, transparency, sustainable development, and digital government. Nominations are rigorously evaluated using international indicators that highlight exceptional achievements in reform and innovation. For the assessment, the summit partners with Ernst & Young as a knowledge partner.
Key assessment pillars include:
- Economic Progress: Measuring advances in national economies.
- Governance Systems: Evaluating the strength, effectiveness, and coordination within institutional frameworks.
- Innovation and Digital Transformation: Assessing the originality and transformative nature of reforms, particularly those involving modern technologies and new governance models.
- Transparency and Accountability: Reviewing the openness of governance structures, responsibility allocations, and effectiveness of change management.
- Development and Self-Improvement: Analyzing tangible value delivered in areas like efficiency, accessibility, cost rationalization, and citizen trust.
- Sustainability: Determining the longevity, replicability, and scalability of reforms at broader levels.
- Citizen-Centric Innovation: Evaluating the inclusiveness of the reform process, the active engagement of citizens, and partnerships with the private sector, academia, and civil society.
The World Governments Summit: A Platform for Global Excellence
Beyond this award, the World Governments Summit serves as a global incubator for government innovation. It recognizes exceptional achievements through awards such as Best Minister, Best Teacher, and honors for technological solutions, government innovations, and sustainability practices. Its mission is to institutionalize government knowledge and celebrate distinguished government models that elevate societies worldwide.
By honoring Paraguay with the Most Reformed Government Global Award, the summit not only celebrates a milestone for the South American nation but also sets a new global benchmark for good governance, innovation, and strategic development paths that other countries are inspired to follow.
Team V.4-EM-UAE
