General News - 22 May, 2013
Mohammed announces the launch of m-Government
UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum stressed the need to continue to develop government services to keep pace with developments around us so as to deliver these services to various segments of society easily and conveniently wherever they are.
Emphasising the need to focus on measures to further enhance government services, Sheikh Mohammed called for creative efforts to provide services on par with global standards, adding that an innovative government thinks ahead and breaks the routine to become No1.
Sheikh Mohammed’s remarks came during his announcement of the post e-Government era with the launch of the “Mobile Government” (m-Government) initiative, marking a significant breakthrough in the delivery of government services to the public through their mobile phones, anywhere and round-the-clock.
On this occasion, Sheikh Mohammed said: "We have succeeded in perpetuating the most modern concept of an innovative e-government, and today we proceed towards a government that provides services via mobile phones.” He added: “We have one of the world’s best infrastructure in the field of communication, with the number of mobile phone subscribers in the UAE reaching approximately 14 million, which represents an average of two telephones per individual.”
Sheikh Mohammed added: "Today, we want to relocate customer service centres into every customer device, enabling them to obtain their desired service through their mobile phones anywhere at any time. A successful government reaches out to the citizens rather than wait for them to come to it.”
He said that “M-Government" aims to consolidate the UAE’s leading position in electronic services delivery to be on par with international best practices in this regard, noting that the UAE was the pioneer and the leader in the launch of e-government project in the region in 2000. He added that the UAE was ranked 7th in terms of e-government services at world level, and today it reinforces its leading position through the launch and adoption of the most advanced mobile government.
He added: "Our role as a government is to make the life of our people easier and achieve them happiness, and our duty is to reach all segments of society at all their levels be they cultural and electronic and offer them the best possible government services."
Sheikh Mohammed directed all federal and local government entitiess to provide their services to customers in an innovative and easy manner via mobile phones within 24 months, stressing that the government is able to move successfully effectively and efficiently to accomplish this mission.
The new initiative aims to stimulate and encourage government entities in the UAE to offer innovative services through mobile phones, portable devices and text messages applications to ensure around- the- clock access to government services using easy, simple, highly efficient and transparent procedures to meet the needs and expectations of customers and make them feel, at the same time, the importance of communicating with government from anywhere. This is in line with the government’s approach to develop services and achieve a high quality life for UAE nationals and residents, in accordance with the UAE Vision 2021.
The announcement of the launch of M-Government initiative came during a meeting organised by the UAE government with the participation of more than 1,000 government officials. This followed Sheikh Mohammed’s directives at the Government Summit, held in Dubai recently, during which he stressed the need to develop and upgrade government services and make them more convenient for the public.
The Mobile Government Forum aims to raise awareness among government entities to take advantage of mobile phone services by adopting innovation and the best technologies in the field to offer the highest level of services comparable to the private sector by sharing experiences with other outstanding entities in the world.