In an amalgamation of its efforts to support the public and the business community and to try to reduce the impact of the global pandemic COVID-19 on all of its sectors, the UAE government, keeping up with its ever-evolving digital strategy aimed at working smartly and efficiently, has announced the roll-out of its official portal (u.ae) aimed at providing mostly end to end digital services around the clock.
The announcement comes after a series of initiatives to activate working remotely and preserve public safety while ensuring continuity of services. This is a giant leap in the digital transformation that the country has embarked on since the introduction of the e-dirham back in 2001 and the announcement of a long-term e-Government strategy which has since yielded several online services.
Read more: UAE Government Launches Around the Clock Services Portal
The UAE suspended in-person marriage and divorce services on April 8.
The Ministry of Justice in the UAE opened online marriage registration on April 11 to ensure the safety of couples and court employees amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Read more: UAE Opens Online Marriage Registration to Maintain Social Distancing
UAE entities are proving that a smart city goes beyond being merely smart
Smart cities are — almost by default — associated with the 'smart' adoption and use of latest technology concepts. Amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, several entities across the world have announced remote working plans, made possible by online tools.
With much talk about advanced solutions such as meetings via holograms potentially replacing video conferencing, technology and innovation are probably of lesser concern, and not only in the corporate sector. That is why — when we speak of smart cities — it is crucial to consider sustainability, cost-effectiveness, liveability, mobility, security and safety, and human centricity, in tandem with technology.
Read more: AE: Special report: Creating “human” smart cities
As part of commitment to the vision of Smart Dubai, and to facilitate business operations for customers through smart transformation, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced the launch of the electronic attestation service and the authentication of signatures on documents, which raises the percentage of smart transformation of core services to 98 per cent.
The Chamber drew attention to the activation of this smart service from March 19, 2020, whereby members of the Chamber can submit all transactions requiring authentication electronically through the Dubai Chamber website. The completion of the online attestation process from submission to approval does not exceed four hours.
Read more: AE: Dubai Chamber launches electronic attestation service
We explore how the city of Dubai is going to leverage fintech in order to become a truly smart city and potentially the fintech capital of the world.
The Middle East is the embodiment of the speed at which humans evolve, taking dusty expanses of land and building smart cities that overtake nations which have stood centuries longer. Cities such as Abu Dhabi are an exciting monument to the technological revolution taking place, and planned new urban sprawls like Masdar in Abu Dhabi and Neom in Saudi Arabia prove that the UAE doesn’t plan to slow down any time soon.
Read more: AE: How is Dubai using fintech to develop its smart city?