Rehab Lootah, Senior Business Manager of Dubai eGovernment will deliver the keynote address on 'Dubai eGovernment Mobile Portal' at the two-day annual event that will bring the region's top executives and operators together to discuss new trends, initiatives and challenges facing the Middle East's mobile and wireless industry. The summit is being organised by Arabcom Group in association with Dubai eGovernment, Dubai Internet City and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI).
Lootah said, "Given the increasing number of
GSM and GPRS subscribers and the growth in Smartphones and PDA owners among the UAE's population, the Dubai eGovernment Mobile Portal has emerged as a convenient and effective new channel for those on the move, to quickly access government services through their mobile phones."
The mobile portal, launched in September this year under the initiative of Dubai Crown Prince and
UAE Defence Minister General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the first such e-service to be launched in the Middle East. It can be accessed from different mobile devices having GSM/GPRS or Wi-Fi connectivity.
The portal provides 15 services by government, semi-government and private sectors organisations including traffic services, Islamic services, financial services, travel bookings, entertainment and general information about Dubai. Visa information from Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD), prayer timings from Awqaf and traffic fine enquiries and payments to Dubai Police can also be accessed through this electronic channel.
"The mobile portal, www.dubai.ae, highlights Dubai eGovernment's commitment to ensuring an efficient administration that is responsive to its people's needs. It also underlines our drive to deploy the latest technology to achieve a virtual government by providing high-quality
customer focused eServices for individuals, businesses and government departments," Lootah added.
"Offering eServices through mobile phones allows a large section of the population to avail of these services with a high level of security and privacy," she pointed out. In its march towards a digital economy, Dubai eGovernment has e-enabled 81 per cent of its services, which are in varying stages of completion.
The international panel of speakers at the forthcoming summit will address issues such as mobility, WIMAX, WIFI, IPTV, Wireline, RFID, VoIP, ADSL2+, Triple Play, Smartphone solutions, security and challenges facing the industry.
These topics will be debated through interactive panel discussions, case studies on successful implementation and open sessions, daily from 9 am till 6 pm.
The summit is expected to attract over 500 participants from the region and is the Middle East's only event where governments and private sector will gather and network with international and regional solutions providers, suppliers, manufacturers, vendors, distributors, resellers and end-users to discuss handheld mobility at a decision-making level.
Finance Ministry To Launch New E-Government Programme
Dec 26, 2005 - 10:34 - Dubai, Dec. 26, 05 (WAM)-- A three- day training workshop was held in the Ministry of Finance and Industry (MOFI) to orient representatives of state government ministries to the new E- government housing programme the Ministry intends to launch in early 2006.
The new programme aims at establishing an interactive system with all clients - federal ministries, employees, and property owners - in order to streamline housing services.
Saif Al Khatiri, Director of MOFI Housing Department, said the programme was in line with a federal government drive toward E- government.
"Our aim is to minimize reliance on conventional communications means in favour of electronic transactions, for the sake of a more efficient, convenient and timely service", he explained.
The new housing programme, being implemented in coordination with all Federal organisations, will allow fast processing of transactions related to government housing.
A recently published report has placed the UAE among the top countries in terms of e-Government readiness.
The UAE has posted one of the most impressive year-over-year gains among all the countries of the world in 2005. It advanced its ranking from 60 in 2004 to 42 in 2005, stated the report, e-Government Readiness Report 2005, from e-Government to e-Inclusion, published by United Nations Online Public Network and Finance, UNPAN. As with many other top gainers, it has done so due to a revamped national site that integrates information and services into a single gateway where its offerings can be easily located. The UAE national site was not only completely re-done but also re-branded, from http://www.uae.gov.ae, to the new ttp://www.government.ae., stated the report. 'This is a testimony to the UAE federal government determination towards openness, effectiveness and efficiency,' said H.E. Dr. Mohammed Khalfan bin Khirbash, UAE Minister of State for Finance and Industry and Chairman of Federal e-Government Steering Committee. He said the e-Government aims through the e-Portal to increase individual and cross-departmental collaboration, improve public interaction and involvement, and centralize content management for all government ministries and entities with decentralized eServices The portal provides a self-service channel to deliver personalized information and to transact with the citizens, customers, employees, and partners. It is set to act and serve as a key tool to both reduce the cost of doing business and to increase revenue by facilitating interactions that are mutually beneficial to citizens and corporations. The UN report praised the inclusion of the UAE government's ministries highlighting the Ministry of Education site, http://www.moe.gov.ae, which includes participatory features. 'It was perhaps especially noteworthy because in addition to being re-branded it is one of the few government sites in the Middle East that offers an open-ended discussion forum,' stated the report. The United Arab Emirates gateway to e-services an interesting feature on the UAE gateway http://www.government.ae is that the government entry site is organized by end-user, providing information, services, and transactions under separate sections for residents, business, visitors, and government. Impressive features on the site itself include up-to-date information, as well as registration and eTenders, which incorporate online bidding for public tenders. In addition, the government gateway provides clear access to two excellent portals, one of which is e-Dirham portal, http://www.e-dirham.gov.ae, for transactions, and the e-Forms portal, http://www.uaesmartforms.com, for online forms advancing its interactive presence.
Im Nahen Osten gibt es derzeit etwa 2 Millionen Internetnutzer, bis zum Jahr
2003 wird die Zahl wahrscheinlich auf etwa fünf Millionen anwachsen (Gibeily
2000: 42). Zwar verzeichnet das Internet in der Region hohe Wachstumsraten bei
den Nutzerreichweiten; diese spielen sich allerdings auf einem im Vergleich zu
Europa, Nordamerika und Asien/Pazifik vergleichsweise niedrigem Niveau ab. Über
den derzeitigen Umsatz der im Internet gehandelten nahöstlichen Waren (E-Commerce)
existieren unterschiedliche Angaben. Sie reichen von konservativen Schätzungen
der Firma Internet Facilities von monatlich 700.000 US$, d.h. weniger als
10 Millionen US$ jährlich, bis zu höheren Schätzungen der Dabbagh Information
Technology in Dubai, die allein beim Business-to-Customer-Geschäft (B2C) von
einem Umsatz von 95 Millionen US$ im Jahr (April 1998 bis April 1999) ausgeht,
also von einem zehnfach höheren Wert (Fawaz 1999). Die Firma Microsoft schließlich
schätzt den B2C-Umsatz des Jahres 1999 im Nahen Osten sogar auf 150 Millionen
US$, und für das laufende Jahr 2000 werden 600 Millionen US$ erwartet
(Nayar 2000: 49). Selbst 100-150 Millionen US$ allerdings wären lediglich ein
geringer Anteil von etwa 200 Milliarden US$, die nach Schätzungen des Global
Economic Prospects-Berichts der Weltbank derzeit (1999-2000) weltweit über das
Netz gehandelt werden; bis zum Jahr 2005 werden etwa 25 Prozent des Welthandels
auf der Basis von E-Commerce abgewickelt werden (World Bank 2001: Chapter 4).
m-Government: Can it work wonders?
BundOnline
Beschreibung der Aufgaben der Initiative BundOnline
.
In diesem Bereich finden Sie eine Darstellung der Projektgruppe BundOnline (PGBO) mit deren Verantwortlichkeiten, Aufgaben und Tätigkeiten und viele weitere Informationen zum Thema E-Government in Deutschland.Über die linke Navigationsleiste oder die unten stehenden Links finden Sie weitere Informationen zu den folgenden Themen:- Ansprechpartner: Auflistung der Personen die für spezielle Themen im Rahmen der PGBO zuständig sind
- Gesamtprojektorganisation: Darstellung der Projektorganisation mit Schaubild und Aufbauorganisation
- Öffentlichkeitsarbeit: Informationen von und über die PGBO (z.B.: Messen, Kongresse und Pressemitteilungen etc.)
- Zentrale Koordinierung: Beschreibung der Aufgaben der PGBO und Auflistung der Verantwortlichkeiten für die unterschiedlichen Basiskomponenten und Kompetenzzentren
- Zuständigkeiten: Informationen über die organisatorischen Zuständigkeiten innerhalb der PGBO
- Qualitätsmanagement: Qualitätsgrundsätze und Qualitätsziele im Projekt BundOnline
- Risikomanagement: Informationen zum Risikomanagement der Projektgruppe BundOnline.
Beschreibung der Aufgaben der Initiative BundOnline
Mit der E-Government-Initiative BundOnline 2005 hat sich die Bundesregierung verpflichtet, alle internetfähigen Dienstleistungen der Bundesverwaltung online bereitzustellen. Mit BundOnline 2005 werden Bürger und Wirtschaft die Dienstleistungen der Bundesverwaltung einfacher, schneller und kostengünstiger in Anspruch nehmen können.BundOnline 2005 ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil der umfassenden Verwaltungsmodernisierung. Nach einer umfassenden Bestandsaufnahme hat die Bundesregierung am 14. November 2001 einen konkreten Umsetzungsplan für das gesamte Dienstleistungsspektrum der Bundesverwaltung beschlossen. Der Umsetzungsplan besagt, dass bis zum Jahre 2005 sämtliche internetfähigen Dienstleistungen der Bundesverwaltung online verfügbar sein sollen. Die Projektgruppe BundOnline koordiniert die Initiative BundOnline und fungiert als Dienstleister für die umsetzenden Ressorts und Behörden. Folgende zentralen Dienstleistungen werden erbracht:- Beratungsunterstützung der Ressorts und Behörden durch die CATs
- Bereitstellung von Basiskomponenten (BK) und Kompetenzzentren (CC) zur Unterstützung der Ressorts und Behörden bei der Realisierung von Dienstleistungen im Rahmen der Initiative BundOnline.
- Wissensmanagement mit der Aufgabe, die Projektgruppe, die Projektverantwortlichen und Projektmitarbeiter in den Ressorts und Behörden durch die Bereitstellung von Dokumenten, Tools und Informationen über das Wissensmanagementsystem (WMS) der Projektgruppe BundOnline bei der Projektarbeit zu unterstützen.
- Im Bereich Öffentlichkeitsarbeit mit den Aufgaben, die Initiative BundOnline über Pressemeldungen, Newsletter, Messeausstellungen, BundOnlineStar-Verleihung usw. bekannt zu machen.
- Controlling welches der Projektleitung, den Mitarbeitern und den Beratern der Zentralen Koordination sowie den an der Initiative BundOnline beteiligten Ressorts und Behörden Daten, die für die Steuerung der Initiative, die Entwicklung von Geschäftsmodellen, die Öffentlichkeitsarbeit usw. benötigt werden, liefert.
^ zum Anfang
Broschüre BundOnline aktuell
Die Initiative BundOnline 2005 veröffentlicht in regelmäßigen Abständen das Magazin BundOnline aktuell. Die jeweiligen Ausgaben bieten wir Ihnen hier zum Download an.Sie können die Broschüre auch über die folgende Mailadresse im Original bestellen: Senden Sie einfach eine Mail an wmsbol2005@ivbb.bund.de mit dem Hinweis: "Broschüre BundOnline aktuell" und Ihre Postanschrift. Sie erhalten dann in Kürze die Broschüre per Post.^ zum Anfang
CD-ROM BundOnline / Deutschland-Online
Die CD-ROM enthält alles Wissenswerte zu BundOnline 2005 - der E-Government-Initiative der Bundesregierung - und zu Deutschland-Online, der gemeinsamen E-Government-Strategie von Bund, Ländern und Kommunen. Die CD-ROM entspricht den Anforderungen der Barrierefreiheit nach BITV.Sie können die CD-ROM über die folgende Mailadresse bestellen: Senden Sie einfach eine Mail an wmsbol2005@ivbb.bund.de mit dem Hinweis: "CD-ROM BundOnline / Deutschland-Online" und Ihre Postanschrift. Sie erhalten dann in Kürze die CD-ROM per Post.^ zum Anfang
Zur Förderung der Initiative BundOnline 2005 
sowie zur Unterstützung der Landes- und Kommunalbehörden ist unter Federführung des Bundesamts für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) das E-Government-Handbuch entstanden. Das Handbuch ist als Nachschlagewerk und zentrale Informationsbörse zum Thema "Sicheres E-Government" konzipiert. Neben Informationen zur Organisation und zum IT-Einsatz im E-Government werden insbesondere IT-sicherheitstechnische Empfehlungen zur Verfügung gestellt. Die Inhalte des Handbuchs verstehen sich dabei nicht als Vorgabe oder Regelung, vielmehr haben sie empfehlenden Charakter.
H.E. Dr. Mohammed Khalfan bin Khirbash, UAE Minister of State for Finance and Industry and Chairman of Federal e-Government Steering Committee.
The
UAE has posted one of the most impressive year-over-year gains among all the countries of the world in 2005. It advanced its ranking from 60 in 2004 to 42 in 2005, stated the report, e-Government Readiness Report 2005, from e-Government to e-Inclusion, published by United Nations Online Public Network and Finance, UNPAN.
As with many other top gainers, it has done so due to a revamped national site that integrates information and services into a single gateway where its offerings can be easily located. The
UAE national site was not only completely re-done but also re-branded, from http://www.uae.gov.ae, to the new ttp://www.government.ae., stated the report.
'This is a testimony to the
UAE federal government determination towards openness, effectiveness and efficiency,' said H.E. Dr. Mohammed Khalfan bin Khirbash,
UAE Minister of State for Finance and Industry and Chairman of Federal e-Government Steering Committee.
He said the e-Government aims through the e-Portal to increase individual and cross-departmental collaboration, improve public interaction and involvement, and centralize content management for all government ministries and entities with decentralized eServices
The portal provides a self-service channel to deliver personalized information and to transact with the citizens, customers, employees, and partners. It is set to act and serve as a key tool to both reduce the cost of doing business and to increase revenue by facilitating interactions that are mutually beneficial to citizens and corporations.
The UN report praised the inclusion of the
UAE government's ministries highlighting the Ministry of Education site, http://www.moe.gov.ae, which includes participatory features. 'It was perhaps especially noteworthy because in addition to being re-branded it is one of the few government sites in the Middle East that offers an open-ended discussion forum,' stated the report.
The United Arab Emirates gateway to e-services an interesting feature on the
UAE gateway http://www.government.ae is that the government entry site is organized by end-user, providing information, services, and transactions under separate sections for residents, business, visitors, and government. Impressive features on the site itself include up-to-date information, as well as registration and eTenders, which incorporate online bidding for public tenders.
In addition, the government gateway provides clear access to two excellent portals, one of which is e-Dirham portal, http://www.e-dirham.gov.ae, for transactions, and the e-Forms portal, http://www.uaesmartforms.com, for online forms advancing its interactive presence.
eGU’s mission is:
‘ensuring that IT supports the business transformation of Government itself so that we can provide better, more efficient, public services.’
The Prime Minister, Tony Blair
The e-Government Unit (eGU) is the largest unit in the Cabinet Office. We are responsible for
- formulating information technology (IT) strategy and policy
- developing common IT components for use across government
- promoting best practice across government
- delivering citizen-centred online services
Ian Watmore appointed Head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit
Following the Prime Minister's announcement today, Sir Gus O'Donnell, Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service, welcomed the appointment of Ian Watmore as Head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit effective from 9 January 2006.
eAccessibility of public sector services in the European Union
A comprehensive assessment of the eAccessibility of government online services across the European Union (EU).
Transformational Government – Enabled by Technology
The Government has published ‘Transformational Government – Enabled by Technology’, a strategy for transforming public services using technology. The strategy sets out how effective use of technology designed around citizens' and businesses' needs can make a real difference to people's daily lives.
Ministerial e-Government conference
‘Transforming Public Services,’ a major conference hosted by the e–Government Unit of the Cabinet Office and the European Commission will take place in Manchester on 24 – 25 November this year. The European Commission describes this UK Presidency conference as ‘the most important e–Government event of 2005.’
Dubai eGovernment exhibited as an umbrella of 28 government departments at GITEX 2005. Rehab Lootah, E-Service Provisioning Manager, Dubai eGovernment, says 81% of government services are currently online, with 90% the aim for 2007.
THe Arab world will witness
a good Governance wave if its countries start the implementation of E-Government applications.
Dubai E-Government (Video)
The news you choose »
Login to Add to WatchlistDubai eGovernment GITEX 2005Dubai eGovernment exhibited as an umbrella of 28 government departments at GITEX 2005. Rehab Lootah, E-Service Provisioning Manager, Dubai eGovernment, says 81% of government services are currently online, with 90% the aim for 2007.
United Arab Emirates: Sunday, October 02 - 2005 at 09:19
Progress for eServicesDubai Municipality is continually introducing new eServices through Dubai eGovernment, to make residents' lives easier and goverment departments more efficient. Ahmed Behrozyan, Head of eGovernment Services, Dubai Municipality, says that new payment systems are being introduced, to encourage people to transact financially online.
United Arab Emirates: Monday, September 26 - 2005 at 11:09
eGov goes mobileFlight information, prayer times and stockmarket prices are easily accessible via mobiles and PDAs, thanks to Dubai eGoverment's new portal. Salem Al Shair, eServices Director, Dubai eGovernment, explains how partnerships are helping bring government services to users.
United Arab Emirates: Saturday, September 24 - 2005 at 10:48
Progress for Dubai eGovernmentDubai eGovernment continues its progress in providing services and encouraging eCitizens to transact online. It it also one of the key participants in Dubai Summer Surprises 2005. Salem Al Shair, eServices Director, Dubai eGovernment, looks at recent developments.
United Arab Emirates: Thursday, June 16 - 2005 at 00:37
Dubai eGovernment DSS eventsDubai eGovernment is a key participant in Dubai Summer Surprises 2005, running four events to help improve young people's IT skills. It includes a website creation competition, sponsored by HumanSoft. There is also a Playstation event, sponsored by Jumbo Electronics and Sony.
United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, June 15 - 2005 at 09:13
Dubai eGov at Careers UAEDubai eGovernment has a major presence at Careers UAE 2005, showcasing its enhanced e-Job website which features a new eLearn service. A team of eGovernment officials and experts are giving advice and information to students and young job-seekers.
United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, May 18 - 2005 at 10:38
Dubai E-Government progressDubai E-Government has made outstanding progress over the past couple of years, becoming one of the world's most advanced online governments. Mahmoud Al Bastaki, Business Process Consultant, Dubai E-Government says Dubai is also sharing its skills and experience with other regional governments.
United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, October 05 - 2004 at 09:08
Training E-CitizensDubai E-Government has launched an innovative new project to help residents and nationals become e-citzens, by developing e-literacy skills. It includes a training course to help even those with no experience of computers to learn basic email and internet use. Rihab Lootah, E-Service Provisioning Manager, Dubai E-Government, says the service is open to everyone.
United Arab Emirates: Monday, October 04 - 2004 at 11:28
'Kalashnikov theory' of e-government
To start with, as we try to come to grips with the new challenge of 'transactional government' here in the UK, we might remember there's a wider world out there, struggling with the internet as a new medium for public sector reform.
What people often tell me in the Arab world is that if you are a small and oil-rich state, then e-government looks good on your CV and impresses the Americans.
"Bureaucracy is the ultimate purpose of the state," Karl Marx said in one of his wittier moments. Yet e-government works best in societies with a relatively thin and efficient public sector. We know this, intuitively at least, from our own experience in the UK and can observe that where government is at its fattest and most Byzantine, e-delivery projects are most likely to fail because being large and being 'joined-up' are mutually incompatible concepts in an environment which demands agility, initiative and shared services.
This is where my Kalashnikov theory comes in - and it's very simple. What I've been telling government leaders in my Middle Eastern travels is that not every country can look towards Dubai or even Singapore in planning a national technology strategy. Instead, most countries with larger populations should remember the rugged examples of the Kalashnikov rifle and the T34 tank. That is, they should build their own nascent services in the same way - resistant to sand and a great deal of harsh treatment, and still capable of delivering what they say on the box in what are often the most hostile bureaucratic and technology-limiting conditions imaginable.
If we in Europe are going to promote e-government as a tool for progressive change across the Middle East, it has to be in a sound local context and with the financial and technical support that will take modest projects to the point of being able to deliver simple, useful services for the many. Or, to quote Winston Churchill: "It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary."
- Dubai School of Government (DSG), the leading and dedicated regional public sector management school, presented the policy recommendations of the Arab world to South Korea during the 6th Global Forum on Reinventing Government in Seoul last week.
- United Arab Emirates: Saturday, June 04 - 2005 at 10:39
- Governmental decision makers were urged to make e-Government a reality by strategic focus and intensive internal cooperation between their own agencies and their citizenry in the closing session of the two-day DSG E-Government conference entitled 'From E-Government to I-Government: How Information Government will Revolutionize the Public Sector', which concluded in Dubai today.
- United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, May 24 - 2005 at 15:35
- A call to focus on enhancing public engagement and foster a knowledge-based society through the implementation of effective e-Government strategies has been the central theme of discussion during the first sessions of the DSG E-Government conference entitled 'From E-Government to I-Government: How Information Government will Revolutionize the Public Sector', which started today at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.
- United Arab Emirates: Monday, May 23 - 2005 at 13:24
- Twelve of the world's top thinkers including five Harvard University faculty will converge in Dubai for a two-day conference aimed at empowering regional governments with information and knowledge on successful e-government strategy and implementation.
- United Arab Emirates: Sunday, May 08 - 2005 at 10:38
- The first Harvard-certificated program on e-Government in the Middle East held its graduation, with 45 high-ranking attendees from the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Bahrain, Iraq and Syria receiving their awards from the Dubai School of Government (DSG).
- United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, April 06 - 2005 at 14:58
- UAE Minister of State for Finance and Industry H.E. Dr. Mohamed Khalfan bin Khirbash, today opened the first Harvard-certificated program in the Middle East on E-Government Leadership, greeting high-ranking attendees from the governments of Arab States who attended the 3 times oversubscribed DSG program.
- United Arab Emirates: Saturday, March 26 - 2005 at 11:07
- Dubai School of Government (DSG) will take the policy recommendations of the Arab world to South Korea for the 6th Global Forum on Reinventing Government in Seoul, in May 2005.
- United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, March 23 - 2005 at 17:26
- The Dubai School of Government (DSG) yesterday opened the first Regional Forum on Reinventing Government in the Arab States, organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the UNDP Programme on Governance in the Arab Region (POGAR), where delegates from the Arab world reinforced efforts to shift the mode of governmental decision making and action to a transparency and accountability, creating a model of 'engaged governance'.
- United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, March 22 - 2005 at 12:25
Dubai eGovernment is keen to fully utilize the breadth and depth of talent. To do this, we have established a clear and decisive management hiring process, where we use the eJob service as our recruitment tool. Through it, you can submit your CV, which our HR team will assess for suitable competencies and get back to you if they suit our needs. Vacancies presently available:
- Community Outreach Officer
- Senior Business Process Reengineering Specialist
- eServices Provisioning Officer
You can submit your CV through: http://ejob.dubai.ae
The UN Global E-Government Readiness Report 2005: From E-Government to E-Inclusion, explores the interlinkages between e-government and development, presents an assessment of the countries according to their state of e-government readiness and the extent of e-participation worldwide.
“The leaders of tomorrow are our focus and the foundation of the future. Our duty is to advance their skills and knowledge to continually enhance the quality of public administration.”- H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum
A United Nations report on 190 countries, placed the UAE in the top league of countries that have successfully introduced e-government.The index ranked the UAE the first in the Arab world and globally 21st, giving it 2.17 points, said a statement by Dubai e-Gover-nment. The UAE was singled out as one of the global leaders in online access as 33 per cent of its population has online connections, it added.The index positions the UAE ahead of Japan (2.12), Ireland (2.16), Austria (2.14) and Russia (1.89). In the Middle East, the UAE was followed by Kuwait (2.12), Bahrain (2.04) and Lebanon (2).The index was developed using three key parameters: the country's official online presence, telecommunications infrastructure and human development capacity. "We are proud that the UN has recognised the UAE as one of the e-governments that have reached an advanced stage. This crowns UAE efforts to migrate to customer-centric online platforms within a short time-frame," said Salem Al Shair, e-Services director, Dubai e-Government.
Raya Holding has just eight months to put 101 government services online at the Qatar Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture — a process it said would normally take years.Raya has been contracted to automate the ministry’s 101 services in 27 different government departments from January to September 2006.Ali Sakr, general manager of Raya Gulf, said the project will be a tough challenge. “Normally projects of this magnitude approach a time-frame of years,” he admitted, “But we will be able to do it and avail all the resources we have.” “It’s always better to have tight deadlines than relaxed deadlines,” Sakr added, saying that Raya had stressed the need for the Ministry to commit the “proper level of resources” for the project to succeed.“We needed this commitment from their side to have people involved at the right level and time to ensure we finish on ti- me,” he said. “Of course it’s a tough challenge but this is the plan and this is what we are working on achieving,” he added.Fadel Hajis Al Kaabi, director of information system management at the Ministry believes Raya’s experience of implementing similar e-government projects in the region will enable it to meet its tough deadline. “It’s really a challenge to do this in eight months but it is a challenge we have set for ourselves. Because we are working with Raya, we are confident that we will finish this on time,” he said.As well as automating and web enabling the government services using Oracle Solutions, Raya — along with its partner in the region Omnex Qatar — will automate the Ministry’s back office processes.“The ministry serves around 10,000 people and we have 40 applications that run on the server,” said Al Kaabi. “We want people in Qatar to be able to access these services at any time – in their homes or offices,” he added.
Dubai to re-evaluate e-government services next year, says official
By Ashfaq Ahmed, Staff Reporter
Dubai: A re-evaluation of e-government services offered by various departments in Dubai is likely as people have not responded to them positively, said a senior government official.
"Although we have succeeded in attracting companies to use online services the response is not as good as expected especially from individuals who still fear using online services," said Salem Khamis Al Shair, Services Director at Dubai eGovernment.
Al Shair said Dubai was aiming to have a virtual government system with no barriers or red tape, but the poor response from users was hampering the initiative.
"We are going to re-evaluate all services offered online beginning next year to check the standard and quality of the services and to study what is stopping people from using them," he said.
General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Defence Minister said that about 90 per cent of government services should be online by 2007 and about 50 per cent of transactions should be carried out online, Dubai eGovernment is on target to reach this aim.
"Currently, we have managed to offer 81 per cent of services online but the number of people using them is not as high as it should be," said Al Shair.
He said the number of internet users in the country had grown 88.4 per cent over the last five years. The number has increased from 735,000 in 2000 to 1.39 million this year. It means that about 37 per cent of the UAE population is online.
He said the government was working in synergy between the public and private sectors.
"Public-private partnerships are set to play a greater role in future e-government initiatives," he said.
Mohammad Abdul Karim Julfar, Assistant Director-General of Dubai Municipality said the municipality was the leading government department in terms of online transactions.
The civic body offers 190 of its services online. But he acknowledged that most of the online services were used by companies rather than individuals. The municipality will introduce 27 online services beginning next year and 70 more services in June.
"We want to make our customers' lives easy and don't want them to have unnecessary trips to the municipality," Julfar said.
Global Digital City Network meeting opens today
The Sixth Conference of the Global Digital City Network (GDCN) opens in Dubai today. Delegates from 10 GDCN member cities are in Dubai to attend the conference being organised by Dubai Municipality in coordination with Dubai eGovernment and Etisalat.
The GDCN is an international intercity organisation designed to promote competitiveness of membership organisations by leveraging synergies through the exchange of information and technologies.
The conference aims to provide member cities with opportunities to establish ties, raise awareness and exchange information on a variety of topics including interactive entertainment, biotechnology and information technology in general.
Ganem Al Merri, Deputy General Manager of Etisalat for Dubai said: "We are confident that the content of the conference will prove to be an enriching experience in order to help member cities, and Dubai in particular, to meet challenges of an increasingly competitive nature and bridge the digital divide in our respective communities."
After she finished responding to her e-mail and simultaneously chatting with no less than five people, and checking the balance in her bank account, paying her phone bills and speeding ticket online, and downloading no less than 100 songs on her newly acquired MP3 player, this relative of mine picked up the phone and complained of her inability to access eBay for a "vital" purchase that she needs to carry out. I could almost hear her agitation pouring into my ears. "Can someone write about this?" and she banged the phone.
This is one e-guru of mine who I find impossible to shrug off. Not only does she explain to me the ways and means of the internet but also the technology behind it. While trying to grasp the reality of a virtually unreal world, I was all of a sudden reminded of the extent of my e-ignorance that has made me feel far more outdated in terms of keeping abreast with the latest technological advances that are taking place.
Today, we are living in the age of the e-revolution as per the experts, one which should be capable of enhancing our daily living. There exists an environment of revolutionary set of e's e-learning, e-commerce, e-government, e-health, e-work, e-sale, e-grocery shopping, even e-smell and e-feeling. Seriously, how many of us truly realise what the "revolutionary" list of e's is all about?
It was agreed in 2003 at a United Nations World Summit on the Information Society that by 2015 the internet should reach more than half of the world's population. At the recently held UN-sponsored information society summit in Tunisia, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated that the end goal is to make the internet "available to the world". By that he was referring more so to the developing countries as they have been lagging behind in technological advancement. What has been dubbed as the "digital divide", which is isolating the developed world from the developing, should be bridged.
But is it possible? And how? For a simple reason, today, worldwide a mere 14 per cent of people are connected online. Critics have pointed out that numbers paraded as indicators of a worldwide increase in the use of the internet are misleading.
Out of touch
When it comes to the Arab world in particular, the scene is rather bleak and out of touch. This is quite evident as only 14 million are internet users, which roughly represents 5 per cent of the population at large. First, there is a disparity between the Arab world and the developed connected world. And second and most importantly, there exists a disparity within the Arab world itself.
But should the Arab world be alarmed and concerned about their lack of e-connectivity when a small percentage of the world is connected to the internet? Well, the answer lies in how far we want to position ourselves on the internet spectrum. And one way to find this out is to look at the bigger picture.
Internet after all is just one tool that would assist us in establishing a knowledge society, which is based on specific principles such as freedom of expression, uncensored accessibility to information and equal access to quality education.
The answer to the question therefore is quite simple: are we in the Arab world free, uncensored, have equal access, are able to identify, interpret, produce, process, transform, disseminate and use information freely?
While the internet was fast growing in countries of North America, Europe and Asia, it was moving at a snail's pace in the region. The issue as to why this was the case was highlighted but has never been critically addressed so far.
For many in the Arab world, accessing the internet comes with a high price tag. Hence, the question becomes whether it is worth it or not. More importantly, with unemployment being estimated by the International Labour Organisation to stand anywhere between 15-24 per cent, it is but obvious that one would question whether a generated income will be preferably spent on a loaf of bread or an hour of internet connectivity.
In the world of technological e's, we stand in a very poor position. We are good at using tools of technology but fail in comprehending the concept behind it. Hence would it be wrong to conclude that we are parasites of the information wave, perfectly living off the alleys of the information superhighways?
GOVTEC is the Middle East's premier event for e-government and public sector reinvention.
Held under the auspices of the Central Informatics Organisation, Kingdom of Bahrain, GOVTEC is where the who's who of the Middle East's public sector rub shoulders with the who's who in information technology to learn, network and do business.
Through its combined exhibition and conference format, GOVTEC addresses the public sector's most pressing strategic and technical issues and showcases a comprehensive gallery of cutting-edge ICT solutions geared to meet those challenges.
For the movers and shakers of one of the world's fastest growing public technology markets, GOVTEC offers a tightly focused, time-efficient, quality-driven and budget-conscious forum – a powerful alternative to attending general interest ICT events.
These recommendations were the outcome of the three-day high level Regional Forum on Reinventing Government in the Arab States, hosted by DSG in Dubai last March and organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the UNDP Programme of Governance in the Arab Region (POGAR). Among the recommendations stated was the need to continuously develop the capacities, skills and knowledge of people, and to address the lag in access to information, which is a fundamental human right. Application of information technology was also discussed at the Arab forum as an important means for enhancing transparency, and that civil society should play an active role in curbing corruption. Participants concluded that political will is essential for formulating policies that enhance the application of the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability. "As the first knowledge institution in the region dedicated to public sector management, DSG is honoured to be appointed to present the results of this momentous regional forum at a global level," said Nabil Ali Al Yousuf, Executive Director of DSG, who presented the report on the last day of the Global Forum. "As a school of excellence serving the Middle East, we aim to contribute to the study of government internationally and to a broader understanding of government initiatives in the Arab world." Under the theme "Towards Participatory and Transparent Governance', participating experts at the 6th Global Forum, debated issues central to effective, accountable, and transparent administration and management structures. The purpose is to stress the need for collaboration and partnership among the key players (governments, business, and civil society) of the state in order to foster and maintain the elements of good governance in an age governed by the forces of information technology and globalization. 'I am quite confident that our recommendations will receive positive feedback from the participants at this global forum,' said. Mr. Al Yousuf 'The Arab Forum attracted leading figures in public polices and high level government officials from across the Arab world. Thus the findings were timely, region-specific, and, most importantly, credible,' he added, 'There are many pressing issues in this region. We, at DSG, are very keen to cooperate with all the regional players to take the lead on these issues and establish a common blueprint that will serve as the basis of Arab public administration transformation in order to unleash the real potential of this region,' noted Al Yousuf.
The conference, organized by the Dubai School of Government in partnership with Harvard University's renowned John F. Kennedy School of Government brought together an elite audience of Arab and international academics, policy makers, and government officials, including five Harvard University experts, to discuss the coming paradigm shift in e-Government toward the dynamic new dimension of Information Government (I-Government). Mr. Nabil Ali Alyousuf, Dubai School of Government Executive Director said, 'The interaction between regional decision-makers in e-Government and international thought leaders has been beneficial to all parties. By sharing our experiences in the Middle East we can at once educate and learn. The ongoing efforts by both the conference discussants and guest speakers from around the world to shed light on the importance of e-Government in government-public dialogue are deeply appreciated." Professor Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger, Harvard faculty and leading intellectual on e-government, summed up the conference, saying the transitional phase of e-Government toward the development of public-centered strategies that will improve the flow of information and enhance public engagement in policy making poses a strategic rather than an operational challenge. "Current incentives for e-Government are resulting in traditional electronic government implementation, but fail to stimulate the comprehensive activities that will foster true information government. For this to take hold, governments must now accept responsibility for implementation at a strategic rather than operational level to ensure the full development of quality information flows and a strongly interactive public sector." Regional discussants adjudicated the conference and were positive about the value the international exchange of experience added to Middle East initiatives. Mr. Salem Al-Shair, Chairman of Dubai e-Government, said that in sharing experiences from around the world at this DSG conference, it was important not to just talk about successes, but to talk about failures as well. "It is vital to pass on lessons learned and to impart tips on how to avoid these failures. Today I have talked about the failures and the lessons learned in our experience with e-Government and hope that it helps other countries in avoiding potentially costly mistakes." "In particular, as e-Government we have faced problems with technology and 'techies'. Techies tend to think they can change the world with technology. The approach is tech-centric whereas this is a people business. E-Government must be customer-centric - we should look at our implementation through the people's eyes. Failure can come through the implementation of technology that is inappropriate or beyond what the customer actually wants or needs," he concluded. Dr. Nagy K. Hanna, the World Bank's senior advisor on ICT strategy, said he hoped the sharing of experience from around the globe will result in a dialectic between the experience of the West and its adaptability to the needs of the region. "This is vital when we take into consideration the very individual challenges the regional countries face - issues of culture, hierarchy, local content, style of management, leadership. These are the individual issues that are really at the heart of e-Government, not technology." Another discussant, Mr. Khaldoun Naffa, Head of Jordan's e-Government, said, "E-Government is such a large concept, it is very difficult to measure its effectiveness and performance, so the nice thing about a conference like this is that it allows us to connect with and resonate to some of the ideas and challenges at an international level that we might face in our regional implementation. It provides an opportunity for verification and realignment on key success factors around the world." Other discussants included Mr. Sameh Bedair, Director of Egypt's e-Government Programme, and Dr. Raymond Khoury, Director of the Technical Cooperation Unit at the Ministry of State for Administrative Reform in Lebanon. In addition to regional case studies, international thought leaders presented e-Government stories from around the world, including specific case studies on The Swiss Electronic Government Barometer, by Kuno Schedler, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland; E-rulemaking at the Environmental Protection Agency, by Rick Otis, EPA, USA; and The Singapore Experience, by Chong Yoke Sin, Chief Operating Officer, NCS Ltd, Singapore. 'At the end of the day, e-government is not about technical innovation: it's about government reform,' said Ghazi Atallah, Cisco Systems General Manager Middle East . 'Technology is the key enabler, but those delivering public services through new channels also have to work differently, breaking down inter-departmental silos and working seamlessly across interoperable networks. This way, they can deliver information and services that are easy to use, cost effective and, above all, relevant to people's everyday needs and interests.'
The conference, organized by the leading Dubai School of Government in partnership with renowned Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, has united an elite audience of Arab and international academics, policy makers, and senior government officials to discuss the need for a paradigm shift in e-Government strategies. 'It is of paramount importance to re-conceptualize the benefits of e-Government projects, as the strong focus on technology infrastructures rather than information development and delivery had derailed governments from the principal rationale of e-Government,' said Mohammad Al Gergawi, Dubai School of Government Executive President. 'The resources deployed to develop e-Government infrastructure will be justified if e-Government enhances public administration and improves delivery of public value by providing transparent, accurate, and updated information to the public. Our goal is to achieve an e-Government that fosters genuine public participation through an interactive information sharing mechanism,' added Al Gergawi. The two-day conference offers an insight into how e-Government projects can go beyond the realm of technology and infrastructure. The aim is to develop public-centered strategies that improve the flow of information and enhance public engagement in policy making. The Information Government (i-Government) concept introduces a new dynamic dimension of e-Government. It calls for more focus on the quality of information flows with a view to creating a strongly interactive public sector. 'As the leading and dedicated regional public sector management school, DSG, in cooperation with world-class institutions, organizes conferences and develops programs with a view to enhance public sector administration regionally. This conference is part of our efforts to shed light on the importance of e-Government as a venue for government-public dialogue. This can support the creation of transparent and useful policies and procedures,' said Nabil Ali Al Yousuf, Dubai School of Government Executive Director. The first day of the conference addressed 'e-Government in the 21st century'. Professors Viktor Mayer-Schonberger and David Lazer of Harvard University made a presentation entitled 'e-Government and the coming revolution of i-Government', which was followed by a case study on the foundations of effective e-Government through the experience of Singapore, delivered by Dr. Chong Yoke Sin of NCS SingTel (Singapore). 'At the end of the day, e-government is not about technical innovation: it's about government reform,' said Ghazi Atallah of Cisco Systems General Manager Middle East, which is a sponsor partner in this event. 'Technology is the key enabler, but those delivering public services through new channels also have to work differently, breaking down inter-departmental silos and working seamlessly across interoperable networks. This way, they can deliver information and services that are easy to use, cost effective and, above all, relevant to people's everyday needs and interests.'
Welcome to the research unit of E-Politics in the Arab world. This gateway is devoted to encourage the adoption of new technologies in Arab Politics: Governments and Parliaments. The aim of this research unit is to map e-government and e-parliaments in the Arab world.
Delegate Teams from E-Government Agencies, Departments
Senior public sector and government officials entrusted with e-government development
Other C-Level Officers from government and private orgs
Board Members, Directors and senior managers
IT & Telecom procurement managers
Telecom Service Providers
Internet Service Providers
IT Solution Providers
Banking and Financial Institution officials
Research and Development Managers
Network Engineers
IT professionals
Telecom Systems Managers
Business Development Managers
Communications managers
Independent / Corporate Consultants
Social Researchers & Academicians
Momentum for Kuwait’s e-government initiative is increasing, as feedback from the Oracle Applications Day hosted for the country’s government sector leads to the country forming a pact with Singapore to enhance online services.
Of the four key areas in e-business for government, Kuwait has made considerable strides in the areas of government-to-citizen and government-to-government interaction, with additional investment potential for government-to-business and government-to-employee initiatives as well.
During the one-day seminar, Oracle’s government solutions experts highlighted ways in which e-government adoption can improve citizen services, increase visibility and accountability into public sector finances, boost human resources management capabilities, and enhance public services for citizens.
Visiting speakers from the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance presented their experience from the e-government transformation in the Emirate. The event was highly interactive as the audience members sought to share their experiences and learn from each other.
According to Ayman Abouseif, managing director for Oracle in the Gulf States, e-government has moved from being a concept to a reality in Kuwait, but there is still considerable potential for private citizens, businesses, and public departments to further benefit from self-service opportunities and the transparency benefits that e-government can deliver.
“Oracle Applications Day for the Kuwaiti government sector highlighted the level of development so far and the ways in which both the public and private sector there for more accessible information and services,” he adds.
Ayman Abouseif, managing director, Gulf States, Oracle.
Of the four key areas in e-business for government, Kuwait has made considerable strides in the areas of government-to-citizen and government-to-government interaction, with additional investment potential for government-to-business and government-to-employee initiatives as well.
During the one-day seminar, Oracle's government solutions experts highlighted ways in which e-government adoption can improve citizen services, increase visibility and accountability into public sector finances, boost human resources management capabilities, and enhance public services for citizens. Visiting speakers from the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance presented their experience with using Oracle to power the eGovernment transformation in Abu Dhabi. The event was highly interactive as the audience members sought to share their experiences and learn from each other.
'E-Government has moved from being a concept to a reality in Kuwait, and there is still considerable potential for private citizens, businesses, and public departments to further benefit from self-service opportunities and the transparency benefits that e-government can deliver. Oracle Applications Day for the Kuwaiti government sector highlighted the level of development so far and the ways in which we can further partner with both the public and private sector there for more accessible information and services,'
said Ayman Abouseif, managing director, Gulf States, Oracle.
Oracle Corporation's eBusiness solutions power most of the
GCC government agencies. For example:
• Oracle's fully localized Human Resources Management System and Payroll are deployed at Bahrain's Civil Service Bureau and Bahrain Pension Fund to service the entire Bahraini government employee population. Integrating those two major applications with the government-wide implementation of Oracle Financials at the Kingdom's Ministry of Finance and National Economy delivers an exceptionally powerful information backbone that enables the Bahraini government to best manage its resources based on accurate information that supports the decision-making process.
• The
UAE Ministry of Finance has deployed Oracle Financials to support the processes of budgeting, planning, and finance across the
UAE federal government.
• Oman's Ministry of Civil Services has implemented Oracle Human Resources Management System and Oracle Payroll to serve all ministries and government agencies. The Omani government anticipates that the competency-based Oracle HRMS will aid it in its drive toward achieving Omanization goals.
• The Dubai E-Government initiative is based on a single instance of the Oracle E-Business Suite that spans across the entire government, supporting all its major back-office functions like budgeting, finance, purchasing and human resources management.
• Abu Dhabi Department of Finance has selected Oracle Financials to power its eGovenrment transformation, supporting its integrated budget planning cycle and strong financial controls.
In an effort to update its customer and partner communities on the latest technologies available, Oracle hosts more than 30 seminars and events annually in Kuwait. The company has provided e-business solutions and technology to a number of organizations in Kuwait, including Kuwait University, Kuwait Oil Company, Public Warehousing Company, Wataniya Telecom, National Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait Finance House, and MTC.
Welcome to the corporate website of Dubai eGovernment.
This site is the primary publication medium for official information about Dubai eGovernment. It is also the home for the initial start of eGovernment in Dubai.
Our primary audience is government people-local, federal, the Arab world and other worldwide governments. Our secondary audience includes academic researchers, IT providers, technology partners, industry groups, media journalists and educational institutions. Please note that this corporate website is not specifically geared towards eServices for citizens, residents, visitors and businesses in Dubai. Do visit our public portal for access to all our eServices.
Explore our corporate website further to learn about our early years, our mission statement and our journey towards a virtual government.
