Arab E-government leaders meet again at the Dubai School of Government for round two of talks on E-government and Administrative simplification

The two day forum is run in co-operation with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and is supported by the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP).

The forum which will be held on 6-7 March 2006 will include senior government officials and decision makers from over ten different Arab countries in addition to OECD delegates and E-government knowledge experts from Europe and the United States of America.

The Dubai School of Government was chosen by the Dubai Government to be the knowledge partner for this initiative. The objective of this forum is to provide executive decision makers with the necessary strategic tools and perspectives to identify suitable objectives understand potential hurdles and anticipate and overcome obstacles in both the development and design of realistic e-government strategies and their implementation.

Moreover, the forum will allow Arab countries the opportunity to provide an overview of their overall e-Government initiatives with a focus on how E-Government initiatives can contribute to public sector reform.

Commenting on the forum, Mr. Nabil Alyousuf, Executive President of the Dubai School of Government stated that 'it is our mandate to combine regional and international talent to cultivate regional expertise and contribute to the intellectual advancement of the study of government in general and the participants of the E-government forum are encouraged to develop and design their own customized electronic government strategies to advance their countries' performance'.

The Dubai School of Government is the first research and teaching institution established in the region that focuses on public policy governance. It was established in 2004 under the direction of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and ruler of Dubai. The Dubai School of Government collaborates and coordinates with other international schools of Government such as Harvard University's John F Kennedy School to launch research programmes and to encourage the global exchange of views and experiences relating to public and government policies, seeking to reinforce and develop the skills of the leaders and decision makers in the Arab region.