UAE Cabinet okays plan to allow easy access to government services
e-kiosks and other channels will be available to the public
Abu Dhabi: A new governmental plan for 2014 aims to complete the e-transformation of all governmental services offered to the public.
The plan's goal is also to provide the public with additional channels to access governmental services, for instance the internet, mobile phone, and e-kiosks, while still providing services through customer service centres.
The plan was approved during a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace chaired by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, were present.
Shaikh Mohammad stressed that within two years, all ministries and federal authorities must provide a host of comprehensive e-services to customers.
He stressed the importance of e-transformation in increasing the UAE's competitiveness, as well as in supporting the health, economic, social and educational sector by providing individuals and companies with easy access to the required services.
The plan consists of four phases. The first phase focuses on enhancing the IT infrastructure of federal government bodies, setting up a comprehensive e-government legal framework, and developing unified criteria for e-service quality.
It will also develop the cloud computing strategy of the federal government.
The second phase focuses on supporting and developing the e-infrastructure through a number of initiatives, such as setting up and operating an information network for the UAE government, and setting up and managing a database and disaster recovery centre, which will ensure that the services are not disrupted during times of emergency and disasters.
This phase includes establishing a customer service centre to ensure high quality of e-services and customer satisfaction.
Annual evaluation
The third phase deals with introducing applications and advanced e-services which will include a UAE encyclopedia of e-information and mobile applications that allow customers to access and complete many governmental applications, in addition to carrying out an annual evaluation.
The fourth phase aims to develop an efficient mechanism for performance management to elevate the UAE's standing on the UN e-Government Index, assess customer satisfaction, and setting up policies for business continuity to guarantee that services are provided in a constant manner in different conditions and situations.
The Cabinet endorsed setting up of the Federal Court of First Instance in Dibba Fujairah City to look into civil, commercial, labour, administrative and personal status disputes within its jurisdiction.
It approved the UAE's contribution to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad) from 2013 to 2015. Ifad is a United Nations agency that supports and enhances the food production for the needy categories in the developing countries.
