UAE named 'Visioning Partner towards 2015' for upcoming WSIS Forum 2013

The TRA will represent the UAE by participating in this annual event as a 'Visioning Partner'.

The WSIS UAE National Committee has carefully selected four entities to join the TRA as part of the UAE's official delegation, in addition to a number of distinguished projects that fall within the approved working plan stated by the previous forums held in 2003 and 2005 in Geneva, and Tunisia respectively.

The WSIS UAE National Committee has been formed after a decree by the Ministers' Cabinet number 28 for the year 2006. The key mission for the committee is to ensure the execution of the WSIS recommendations and to liaise with concerned government entities, stakeholders, in addition to federal and local bodies.

"The bilateral relations between the UAE, and the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations initiative based in Geneva, are incredibly strong. The UAE plans to continue the high level of cooperation the with the ITU community as this forum plays an integral role in our efforts to raise awareness of the importance of ICT both locally and internationally. Participating in this year's event as a 'Visioning Partner' signifies how committed we are as an organization to the forum's activities and the creation of a genuine information society. The collaborative approach undertaken by the ICT community within the UAE illustrates a real desire from our nation to meet the forum's targets. The TRA has a long association with the activities of WSIS and the UAE was in fact recently awarded a 'Certificate of Recognition' for its continued level of support to the project," said H.E. Majed sultan Al Mesmar, TRA Deputy Director General and Head of UAE delegation.

"Owing to the importance of the event, the UAE delegation will take four carefully assessed entities, among 80 electronic initiatives in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, to this year's meeting in Switzerland. The decision to include the additional entities to represent the UAE falls in line with the TRA's commitment to knowledge transfer and sharing industry insights at the very highest level," he added.

WSIS forum 2013 is a unique United Nations (UN) summit, the activities of which were held in two phases, one in 2003 and the other in 2005. Ten years on from the first stage of the initiative, WSIS Forum 2013 will be a milestone event and the four entities that will form part of this year's UAE delegation are the Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program, the National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (TANMIA), Khalifa Fund and UAE IX.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program was launched on April 2012 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Aimed at delivering first class education for all students across the Emirates, the Smart Learning Program is a key element in achieving the UAE Vision 2021.

TANMIA is an organization committed to supporting the UAE government by becoming pioneers in the development and empowerment of national human resources towards a qualified and competitive workforce. Besides its extensive operational services which span the entire country via its network of offices across the emirates, TANMIA's strategic role has been steadily increasing. This role is now emphasized by the assignment of two major national KPIs 'Unemployment Rate' and 'Tawteen/Localization Rate' to TANMIA as an integral part of the Federal Government initiative towards the development of national human resources.

Discussing the organization's involvement, H.E Nasser Butti Al Shamsi, Director General of TANMIA said: "TANMIA is pleased to be part of the UAE delegation at the WSIS Forum 2013 and will take the opportunity to promote the National Human Resources Information System project we are currently working on in the UAE. Having a significant impact, the comprehensive and integrated system assesses the current state of the UAE employment sector in great detail whilst identifying areas that require attention."

"The project is divided into three categories. The first concentrates on identifying job seekers and linking them to available positions in the UAE with the second and third phases focusing on a range of other national employment factors including wages, working hours, consultancy services and levels of productivity," he added.

The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, launched in 2007, is an organization set up to help develop local enterprises in Abu Dhabi. As well as supporting small to medium-sized investments in the United Arab Emirates, the Fund aims to create a new generation of Emirati entrepreneurs by fostering a culture of investment amongst youths.

The Fund will represent its own experience in the field of technology development and to adapt it to serve the main mission of Khalifa Fund which is to enhance the spirit of entrepreneurship and to develop the small and medium sized enterprises sector.

"The Fund developed Khalifa Fund electronic Gateway which is a platform for the Fund's members to present and promote their products and services electronically. In addition to improving a technical platform to provide the entrepreneurs with everything new in connection with managing their projects and other services which aim to serve and assist them to improve their leadership skill", said H. E. Abdullah Saeed Al Darmaki the Chief Executive Officer of Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development.

UAE-IX, established in October 2012, is a carrier-neutral platform for the exchange of Internet traffic. Based in Dubai, UAE-IX provides an extremely high level of service to a rapidly growing customer base, including content delivery networks (CDN), carriers and ISPs delivering the Internet into people's homes. The UAE-IX during the forum will highlight the developments and issues related to internet penetration in the MENA region while benchmarking its key indicators to well developed countries in North America, Europe and Northeast Asia.

WSIS Forum 2013 will provide a wealth of opportunities to network and participate in multi-stakeholder discussions on WSIS implementation. This event builds upon the successes of previous annual WSIS meetings and more information about the occasion can be found online at wsis.ae.