Dubai Declaration sets agenda for future of eGovernment in the Arab region

Delegates from thirteen countries in the region attended the four day event.

The Dubai Declaration was released on the concluding day of the symposium which includes the procedures and mechanisms for implementation of the Declaration in the Arab region. Significantly, the declaration has laid out a policy framework for eGovernment and IP implementation in the region with the main highlights including establishing a regional Arab team of officials to ensure coordination in information exchange and knowledge sharing, cooperation in area of training to prepare specialized personnel in eBusiness, identification of work to be done in unifying specifications and certificate categories in eSignatures, coordinating eSignature terms and electronic communication systems.

The Dubai Declaration also calls for more cooperation between International Postal Union and ITU to support Arab countries in delivering electronic services to remote cities and towns to ensure right of every citizen to communicate electronically.

The declaration has also accepted the call of UAE Network Information Centre (UAEnic) for technical and administrative coordination between domain name registration centre in Arab countries with cooperation of ITU. Such an initiative would help the countries in the Arab region to benefit from effort regarding Arabisation of domain names through participating in experimental projects in this area. In conclusion, the declaration also stated that the Arab Region office of ITU will establish a task force to observe the execution of the recommendations of the symposium.

According to Mohammad Hassan Omran, President & CEO, Etisalat, "It was heartening to see the intensity of debate which has been generated as a result of this symposium. It has also provided a valuable opportunity for participants to explore the opportunities that eGovernment engenders as well as understand the technologies shaping this eGovernment rollout. I am confident this symposium will represent a landmark for the eventual success of eGovernment in the region and would like to thank ITU for their whole hearted support to this event."

Commenting on the symposium, Miloud Ameziane, Acting Head of ITU Arab Region Office in Cairo said," The symposium was truly a gathering of committed individuals who came together to set a roadmap for rolling out eGovernment in the region with in-depth and exciting discussions which acted as a catalyst for an active debate on assessing our progress till date on eGovernment. The Dubai Declaration which has been formulated here today reflects the nature and scope of our task and has given us a common set of objectives to guide us. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar, GM -eCompany and his colleagues for the excellent arrangements and constructive partnership that has made this event such a great success."

Alexander NTOKO, Chief, E-Strategies Unit, ITU/BDT while commenting on the event said, "This is the first time we have held one of our events in the UAE and we are absolutely delighted to see the excellent facilities and extensive arrangements made by Etisalat and eCompany that have been put in place for this symposium. The quality of content that was presented and openly articulated at the symposium shows that there are major and serious moves towards implementing e-Government and addressing IP policy issues in the Arab Region. Sharing of these experiences in an open manner during the last four days has helped us in our efforts to come up with a common plan of action for the region in shape of Dubai Declaration."

"Having ITU as a driving force of this symposium is very important for the success of eGovernment in the Arab region, said Mahmood Al Bastaki, Business Process Reengineering Consultant, Dubai eGovernment. "We have witnessed a high degree of acceptance and willingness among the Arab region countries to learn from each other at this symposium. I would strongly urge them to focus on the main building blocks of eGovernment which we have done successfully here in Dubai such as Centralised Payment gateway, 24/7 customer support for customer enquiries, common website content management tools, mobile channel of delivery, Common Library System and Online Recruitment applications", he added.

ITU Arab Region office will be holding similar events in the region in the future to monitor implementation and refine recommendations on eGovernment and IP in its domain.