ESCWA Executive Secretary Bader AlDafa took part in the first GCC e-Government conference organized by the Information Technology Authority (ITA) in Oman. He told the gathering that the digital divide was still a hurdle to development in Western Asia, a region with significant developmental potentials that could be tapped to build the information society.
The meeting brought together representatives of concerned UN bodies, such as the Division for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), heads of GCC e-Government bodies and programs and ICT experts from all over the world. The meeting dealt with several issues concerning the future of e-Government in GCC countries, cooperation opportunities to enhance the level of e-Government services and the use of international expertise to boost the IT sector.
In the opening session, AlDafa said ESCWA will follow-up on the resolutions of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS). The Commission will continue to exert efforts towards the implementation of the regional and strategic Arab ICT plan of action to build an integrated information society. The Executive Secretary defined four points through which ESCWA is working to achieve this goal: responding to the needs of the region through international resolutions, working with member countries to establish ICT policies and develop relevant indicators that help strategic decision-making to pinpoint priority issues in public policies, ensuring the right environment and implementing field projects in the ESCWA region. The Commission lends support to the development of e-services, namely the e-Government applications, in order to increase and facilitate interactions between citizens and the State.
Statements in the opening session were delivered by Chairman of the Oman’s Information Technology Authority Muhammad Al Khusaibi and GCC Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs Muhammad Al Mazroo'i. There were also presentations delivered by Chief Executive Officer of IDA International in Singapore, Seah Chin Siong, who spoke of the future of e-Government, and chief executive of Oman's Information Technology Authority, Salim Sultan Al Ruzaiqi, who spoke of his country's achievements and relevant future plans.
The conference was coupled with the launch of the first GCC e-Government award, which is designed to encourage pioneer e-projects and create an environment conducive to innovation, creativity and electronic progress.
