Sheikh Hamdan: Dubai is the first paperless government in the world

Dubai government has become the first in the world to become fully paperless.

The Dubai Paperless Strategy, launched in 2018, set out to end paper use by government completely by December 12, 2021.

The strategy, which was implemented in five phases, saw all 45 government entities go paperless – providing more than 1,800 digital services and over 10,500 key transactions.

“This achievement consolidates Dubai's global position as a pioneer and role model in developing integrated digital services that enhance the customer experience,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.

“Today marks the beginning of a new stage in Dubai’s journey to digitise life in all its aspects – a journey rooted in innovation, creativity, and a focus on the future,” he said.

Sheikh Hamdan said the strategy fulfils the vision to achieve a paperless journey for every customer of Dubai government.

“Four years ago, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, had a vision that no Dubai government employee or customer would need to print any paper document after 2021. Today, that promise has been fulfilled,” he said.

The digital transformation cut paper consumption by more than 336 million sheets of paper.

It also helped save more than Dh1.3 billion ($354 million) and 14 million working hours across the Dubai government.

Sheikh Hamdan said the next stage will see further strategies to enhance digitisation in Dubai over the next five decades.

All government services are now available through the DubaiNow app. These are organised in 12 categories, including bills, telecoms, driving, housing, residency, health and education.

In total, DubaiNow offers more than 130 smart city services.

Smart Dubai, which is responsible for the digital transformation of Dubai government services and spearheading the emirate’s smart city initiatives, is also helping government entities to become more efficient through the use of technology.

Its Government Resources Planning Services (GRP) programme is helping to cut costs.

So far, GRP has centralised services for more than 65 government agencies that manage 95 per cent of the government’s budget.

This achieved savings of Dh4.3bn between 2003 and 2015, Smart Dubai said.

In June, Sheikh Mohammed issued a law establishing the Dubai Digital Authority, which oversees the Smart Dubai Government Establishment, Dubai Data Establishment, the Dubai Electronic Security Centre and the Dubai Statistics Centre.

The authority's launch is part of a plan to digitise government operations and promote greater efficiency and agility among businesses.

Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'

Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.

Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.

"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.

"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.

"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."

'Morbius'

Director: Daniel Espinosa

Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona

Rating: 2/5

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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.