Proving its full-fledged dynamic readiness for the increasing pace of change worldwide, the UAE has ranked third among the world's nations most prepared for change, according to the Change Readiness Index 2017.

The index, produced by KPMG, an audit, tax and advisory firm, indicates the capability of a country to anticipate, prepare for and manage and respond to a wide range of change drivers, proactively cultivating the resulting opportunities and mitigating potential negative impact.

Vikas Papriwal, Partner and Head of Markets at KPMG, has said the CRI provides deep insights into where countries can focus and invest to be prepared for the increasing pace of change worldwide.

He added that the index ranks 136 countries around the world, with the UAE climbing two spots from the 2015 edition of the index, topping the Middle East and North Africa region and claiming the third spot globally, reflecting the sincere efforts being made to secure an advanced ranking among the best nations all over the world by 2021. The country topped the charts for enterprise capability, while it claimed the second-highest rating for government capability.

The first spot was notched by Switzerland.

The 2017 index indicated that countries dependent on natural resources and export incomes faced set-backs. However, the UAE and Norway broke the pattern and displayed strong performance in the CRI.

The study also provides sub-indicator rankings for each country.

For the UAE, government strategic planning and horizon scanning, demographics, and security were identified as strengths while enterprise sustainability, technology use and health were the opportunities.

Source: Khaleej Times