UAE ranked 8th in eGovernment development

DUBAI -- The UAE has made a remarkable achievement by advancing 92 ranks on the ‘online service index’, one of the four indexes the United Nations considers in measuring eReadiness of countries around the world.

The UAE has leaped to the rank 7^th on ‘online service index’ in the United Nations E-Government Survey 2012; up from rank 99^th in the 2010 version of the biennial report.

The noteworthy advancement that the UAE has made is a rare achievement for a country since the UN started releasing the E-Government Surveys in 2003.

This giant progress was reflected in the overall rank of the UAE in the eGovernment development index. The UAE has advanced from rank 49^th in 2010 to rank 28^th in 2012. Over this short period, Emirates eGovernment has succeeded in regaining the leading position of the UAE in the field of eReadiness in the region and the world. The UAE had suffered a setback in that field before the activation of the federal eGovernment programme.

The UAE’s rank had declined from 32^nd in the 2008 Survey to 49^th in the 2010 Survey. The 2012 report, however, has proved that the UAE is capable of reversing this. According to the 2012 UN E-Government Report the UAE is ahead of established countries in eGovernment.

The Kingdom of Bahrain is 36^th, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is 41^st and Qatar is 48^th.

The Report also shows that the UAE Government has made a great advancement in the field of eParticipation, another main factor in determining eReadiness. The UAE has advanced from rank 86 in 2010 to rank 6 in the 2012 Report. eParticipation is particularly important as a tool of communication between the Government and the public.

Salem Khamis Al Shair Al Suwaidi, Deputy Director General, Information sector and eGovernment, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) expressed his happiness on the achievement. He said, “Emirates eGovernment team presents this success as a token of gratitude to the wise leadership of our beloved country and to its people.”

“I present this achievement to President H. H. Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, H. H. Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and Their Highnesses Members of the Supreme Council and Rulers of the emirates. On behalf of Emirates eGovernment team, I promise them that we will carry on the hard work to enhance the competitiveness of our beloved country,” Al Suwaidi added.

He said that the success that has been achieved requires greater efforts to maintain it and achieve many more milestones. “We are ready for the next phase with its requirements. Experience in the field of eGovernment has affirmed what we have learnt from our wise leadership that achieving excellence is a non-stop process in which one cannot afford to take a break or be slow. A step that doesn’t take us forward is in fact a step backwards,” he said.

Al Suwaidi thanked all those who contributed to this success. He said, “I particularly thank our brothers in the ministries and other federal entities whose portals have been part of the evaluation process. These are Ministries of Health, Education, Labour, Social Affairs and Finance in addition to the Emirates Identity Authority.”

“I also thank the teams that have been managing the project for enhancing the UAE’s competitiveness and all the eGovernment staff who worked day and night to achieve such a remarkable result,” Al Suwaidi added.

The online service index measures development of online service delivery to citizens and businesses through the Internet and other digital means. The Human Capital index is a composite of the literacy rate and school enrolment ratio.

The telecommunication infrastructure index is a composite of five indicators: number of personal computers, number of Internet users, number of telephone lines, number of mobile phone subscriptions and number of fixed broadband subscribers per 100 persons. The eParticipation index is indicative on how governments create an environment in which citizens can be more active and supportive of their governments.

• UAE