E-Government in the United Arab Emirates

The function of the official portal is to act as a single window or a single entry-point for users to access the different federal and local government eServices. The portal also facilitates to boost communication between the customers and the government representatives and eParticipation through forums, blogs, surveys, polls and social media. Government.ae is the parent portal for the sub-portals on eParticipation, eServices, mServices and UAE Open Data.[6]

The UAE Government provides a range of services through its official portal www.government.ae. The eServices are classified into services for individuals, businesses and visitors. Through the eServices, it is now very easy for the people of the UAE to avail a variety of services without leaving their home or office spaces. The portal has an advanced search facility to help people look for the services they want to access. The portal also contains a section on alternate means for accessing government services.[6]

The portal also provides adequate information on the various services that are available through mobile devices and how to avail them with the help of specially developed short codes and mobile applications. The portal has links to download smart phone applications for Blackberry, iPhone and Android.[6]

Innovative and facilitating option for the business was launched in 2013 when a smart phone app for business registration and licensing was unveiled in Dubai.

One of the major features of the enhanced portal is the inclusion of eParticipation channels. The federal portal has engaged multiple platforms like forums, blogs, chats, surveys, polls and social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube to reach out to the general public and engage them in active communication with the government with regard to their opinions and experiences on government services, policies etc.[6]

Under Open Data, government data and information is made available to the public. People can now have access to economic data, population statistics, etc. Open Data could benefit students, economists and researchers in particular and the public in general.[6]

According to The GITR 2010-2011, UAE was ranked first amongst Arab countries and stood 24th amongst 138 countries reviewed in the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), indicating the importance the country gives to Information and Communication Technology as a crucial instrument for economic diversification, enhanced efficiency and modernisation. The same report showed Qatar’s position at 25, Bahrain’s position at 30, Saudi Arabia at 33 and Oman at 41.[2]

The UAE is one of the few countries in the region that has maintained its steady climb in the eReadiness ranking chart. The UAE shot up six positions in NRI; from 29th position amongst 127 countries reviewed in 2007–2008 to 23rd amongst 133 countries reviewed in 2009–2010.[8]

United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN) also conducts a similar survey and publishes its report on eGovernment ranking. The report called UN eGovernment Survey was published annually until 2005 but later became a biennial publication.

The UAE’s overall ranking as per the UN eGovernment Survey has gone through many ups and downs. UAE’s rank rose for two consecutive surveys; it leapt from 60th rank in 2004 by 18 ranks to be at 42nd position in the year 2005 and then rose by 10 ranks to be at 32nd position in the year 2008. However, its rank took a steep dip in 2010 attaining 49th position. However, overall, UAE was ranked fourth in the region in 2010 report.[9][10][11][12]

Emirates eGovernment has set up the UAE’s official portal www.government.ae, which is a major milestone in the process of eTransformation in the UAE. This portal brings all eServices and information provided by the UAE federal and local government bodies under one umbrella.[14]

Emirates eGovernment provides services on G2G, G2B and G2C levels. The UAE’s official portal www.government.ae falls under the G2B and G2C level. Under G2G services, the entity provides cloud and Government Website Evaluation Index (GWEI) services.[15][16]

Emirates eGovernment pioneers various initiatives that aid the development of the eGovernment programme in the UAE. It is actively involved in projects that promote the usage of eServices and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools by the federal government entities and the public in a safe and effective way to achieve better delivery of services and good governance.

Emirates eGovernment regularly holds workshops for internal staff and federal government employees on topics relating to eGovernment, cloud services such as Morasalate and Malafate, IT trends, effective use of ICT to achieve the entity’s goals etc.[17]

Emirates eGovernment drafted a number of guidelines for federal government entities in the UAE. These guidelines deal with websites, social media usage, web content. Emirates eGovernment also issued draft documents related to eParticipation and open data. These guidelines comprise recommendations on the content style, design, layout, accessibility features etc. to make the federal government websites in accordance with the international standards of web content and design as laid down by World Wide Web Consortium.

The Guidelines for Social Media Usage won Emirates eGovernment the 2011 ‘Social Media Initiative of the Year’ award. The guidelines document was prepared in partnership with and extensive support from Dubai School of Government's Governance and Innovation Program and in collaboration with the UAE Government entities. Senior Advisors at Information Technology research firm Gartner Inc. and United Nations eGovernment Programme also offered their assistance and recommendations in preparing this document.[17]