From E-Government to Good Governance and from Good Governance to Development... The Arab world in the global E-Government readiness report 2005 Arab E-government

RIYADH, 15 January 2007 — Several ministries and government organizations launched or updated their websites on the occasion of the first national e-transactions conference titled “Toward Tangible e-Government” opened by Minister of Communication and Information Technology Muhammad Jameel Mulla here last night.

The conference, in which more than 60 national and international speakers are participating, is intended to pave the way for e-government in an integrated environment through the e-government national portal named Yesser. This will enable citizens and expatriates to download data from the Internet.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has announced that companies wishing to apply for commercial registration may do so electronically by downloading the application form. This will greatly reduce the time spent on bureaucratic procedures. A number of Saudi and international companies as well as government organizations are taking part in an e-exhibition being held on the sidelines of the conference which ends Wednesday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented by the Electronic Portal Department in the Information and Studies Center, won laurels when its website obtained the Digital Distinction Award.

It gained first place in the branch of e-government transactions for 2006 as the best e-government portal for a government establishment. The ministry’s e-portal won the award from the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology for the second year in succession.