UAE tops regional table in UN’s digital services survey

Annual list ranks e-governance in 193 member countries

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid hailed the country's strong result. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office

The UAE ranked first in the region and eighth in the world in a United Nations e-governance survey comparing smart services in countries across the globe.

The 2020 Online Services Index (OSI) assesses the efforts of world governments to provide effective and inclusive digital services.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, hailed the country’s strong result.

“The future belongs to those who excel digitally,” he said.

Commenting on the survey in a post on Twitter, Sheikh Mohammed said: “A while ago, the UN issued the E-government survey, which compares the smart services in 193 countries. Proudly, the UAE is the first in the Arab world, region and West Asia and the eighth globally in terms of e-Smart Services Index.”

The annual UN survey is the only global report which focuses on assessing the development of e-governance among member states.

The ranking is based on comparisons between countries and measures the effectiveness of the delivery of public services.

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Liu Zhenmin, said the survey highlights “a persistent positive trend towards higher levels of digital government”.

Mr Liu extended special thanks to the UAE’s Telecommunication Regulatory Authority, for providing the Arabic translation of the survey.

Political will, strategic leadership and the commitment to advancing digital services were all attributes Mr Liu identified as helping countries that performed well in the rankings.