The 11th GCC e-Government Forum was held at the Al Multaqa Ballroom, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai UAE.
The forum focused on the latest e-Government developments & initiatives. It highlighted how nations are preparing their communities, businesses and managements using e-Government. The forum was opened by Ali Al Kamali, Managing Director, Datamatix Group. The audience of more than 500 regional professionals at the event was welcomed by Mr. Joe Clabby, Vice President, Summit Strategies USA and Datamatix International Advisor. Speaking about the event, for which he was also the moderator, Joe Clabby said, 'Over the 5 days of the conference, global experts presented keynotes and case studies on a wide range of issues such as e-Government ROI, e-Readiness, workforce development, m-Government, integrated services, change management, online service delivery, redesigning e-Government business and citizen services, GCC infrastructure and security issues and much more.'
In his opening keynote address, Ali Al Kamali presented a research report on the status of e-Government in the GCC. In his report, he examined the GCC free trade challenges, what technology offers GCC women, GCC e-Government Portals and their services. The Datamatix e-Government Survey reviewed whether GCC e-Government projects have brought any difference to the quality of service, what the factors are limiting success of e-Government services and whether GCC e-Government services are stopping bureaucracy in government organizations.
International and Regional e-Government experts spoke at the forum. Among the speakers at the event were Shauneen Furlong, Former Executive Director, Government Online, Government of Canada, Dr. Donald F. Norris, Director, Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (MIPAR), Dr. Yong Chee Tuan, President, Brunei IT Council, Mr. Jim Jarret, Vice President, Legal and Government Affairs, Intel Corporation Joe Clabby, Vice President, Summit Strategies USA and Datamatix International Advisor, James Smith, Managing Editor, Public Sector Technology & Management Magazine, Singapore and Ivar Tallo, Director, E-Governance Academy, Estonia.
Experts from the GCC who addressed the forum included Ali Al Shuraidah, Asst Sec. Gen. for Info Centre & Decision Support, Council Of Ministers - General Secretariat, Kuwait, Rehab Lootah, Senior Business Manager, Dubai e-Government , Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, Director of Computer Operations, Central Informatics Organization, Bahrain, Ahmed Bahrozyan, Head of e-Government Services Section, Dubai Municipality, Mr. Jawad Abbassi, Founder & President, Arab Advisors Group, Mohammed A. Geoffrey, CEO, House of Development, Saudi Arabia, and Mr. Moatasem Ayyash, Chief Technology Officer, HARF Information Technology, KSA.
Case studies were presented by Dubai Naturalization & Residency Department (DNRD), Dubai Municipality and Ministry of Foreign Affairs-KSA on the evening of 22, 23 and 24 May at DWTC. Senior officials from these organizations gave an overview of the initiatives taken by their respective organizations in using ICT's to provide better services to citizens and improve efficiency.
Joe Clabby, Vice President, Summit Strategies, USA and Datamatix Special Advisor presented the final address of the forum. He summarized the lessons learnt during the conference and made his recommendations for the future of GCC e-Government success.
Speaking about the event, Ali Al Kamali, Managing Director, Datamatix said, 'Over the past 10 years, the conference has come to address crucial issues facing successful e-Government initiatives in the GCC. It has been our aim to bring the best practices and cutting-edge knowledge from across the world to the forum for regional professionals.'
'Over the duration of 5 days, the forum featured several high-quality presentations and case studies by e-Government experts from the GCC and abroad. Delegates were provided with useful insights into the challenges facing e-Government in the future, infrastructure, integration and re-engineering strategies for GCC e-Government implementations.'
Over the 5 days of the event, more than 1000 professionals including top designation executives, senior government officials, ministerial delegations, CIOs, IT managers, business leaders, analysts as well as academics from more than 100 leading organizations attended the forum.
The event was sponsored and supported by leading organizations such as Dubai e-Government Committee, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Naturalization & Residency Department, Oracle, Microsoft, Intel, Computer Associates, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, TIBCO, DTK Computers, Tejari, Middle East Fuego & BMI Systems, TrippLite, Smart Square, House of Development, Huawei, Gulf Data International, Viewnet technologies, Ducont, C1 India, Star Systems, Harf, Arab Link, Al Eqtisadiah and Travelex.
Autor: Lara Lynn Golden
Quelle: AME Info, 30.05.2005
