Dubai eGovernment launches Dubai.emarat as Arabic Internet domain of official Dubai Government portal

The development comes after the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) recently adopted Arabic as the first non-Latin language to be used in writing the web address in the URL address reserved for what is known as "domain name". This was a result of the relentless efforts by the UAE officials and their counterparts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, under the umbrella of the Arab League.

The achievement reflects the commitment of Dubai eGovernment to support the efforts and plans of the UAE Government, which aims to maintain the country's national identity by promoting Arabic language and encouraging its use in all areas, in addition to focusing on supporting the development of Arab-web content in line with the emphasis laid on this by the federal and local leaderships.

Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment, said: "This recent achievement complements the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to uphold the Arab national identity."

"Ever since the Internet became a part of our lives in the early 90s, access to information across the network was dependent on the user's familiarity with Latin languages, thus preventing the vast majority of Arab users from benefiting from the knowledge available on the Internet."

"ICANN's decision to choose the UAE as one of three countries to be allowed to use the Internet domain in its mother tongue was influenced by several factors, mainly the fact that the UAE was the first country in the Arab world to have an eGovernment. Further, Internet users in the UAE make up 74 per cent of the total population in the country according to Rod Beckstrom, President and CEO of ICANN," added Bin Humaidan.

"The latest development opens new windows for those seeking information about Dubai, and undoubtedly enables Arabic speakers all over the world to have quick access to the content on the Dubai eGovernment portal, which has been designed to offer comprehensive information about Dubai and UAE to local and international web browsers. The portal effectively informs citizens, residents, investors and visitors about the facilities and benefits offered by Dubai," he added.

Bin Humaidan pointed out that the launch of the Arabic domain will significantly contribute to the exchange of Arabic content across the Arab world, which in turn will lead to closer ties between the people of the Arab countries.

He noted that the launch of the Arabic domain will also contribute to the spread of Arab culture globally, especially since Arabic was recognised as the fastest-growing language in recent years in terms of the volume of content.

Dubai eGovernment had recently restructured its official portal and introduced a new approach where it adopted the concept of basic services packages to allow each of the following four categories: citizens, residents, business, visitors, access to information through 27 integrated service packages that affect all aspects of life for these categories through a logical sequence connecting all events of life belonging to a certain subject.

It also incorporates a coherent set of services offered by more than one government department to cover the category lifecycle and create a smooth and easy way for suppliers to meet their needs.

The portal features 48 specialized topics targeted at the four categories and are compatible with the life events. It also contains hyperlinks to all the services provided by government agencies.

Dubai eGovernment, which offers and manages the portal, has a clear vision that focuses on making businesses and people's lives easier regarding government transactions, and contributes to the important role played by Dubai as a leading economic hub in the region.

The eGovernment portal of Dubai Government - www.dubai.ae - is a single contact point which provides residents and businesses a range of government services electronically, and provides all segments of society access to over 2,000 government services provided by various government departments in Dubai.