Dubai, 6 December 2010 - A high level delegation from the Telecommunications Sector in the Government of Brunei Darussalam has visited the General Information Authority (GIA) in order to learn more about the UAE experience in the field of electronic transformation and e-Government. The delegation included officials from "Telekom Brunei" (TelBru) and "SiPadu Systems" who work with the government of Brunei Darussalam on the electronic transformation and e-Government.

The delegation was received at the GIA offices in Dubai by H.E. Salem Khamis Al Shair Al Suwaidi, General Director of the General Information Authority. The visiting delegation included Dato Paduka Hj Othman Bin Hj Yaakub, Hj Mahmud Bin Hj Mohammed Daud and Song Kin Koi from TelBru and Hj Sahralidin Bin Hj Abdul Momin, Hjh Ainee Hayat Bte Hj Bungsu, Heng Yick Fong and Jessica Lee from SiPadu.

Al Suwaidi welcomed the visiting delegation and briefed the guests about the UAE experience in the filed of e-Government from the launch of the Dubai e-Government, the first e-Government in the region in 2000, till the launch of the federal UAE e-Government portal last October on the first day of GITEX.

Al Suwaidi expressed readiness to provide any possible assistance to the e-Government in Brunei Darussalam. He said, "We believe that exchanging experiences and expertise among countries in the field of knowledge serves the aspirations of all parties. I think that the UAE experience is rich enough to offer some useful knowledge so that mistakes and ineffective experiences could be avoided."

Al Suwaidi answered some questions regarding the obstacles that face establishing an effective e-Government and the development of government performance and how to overcome them. He highlighted the different stages of e-services and e-payment and the UAE strategy in evaluating and developing the online presence of government entities by customising standards that meet the local requirements and international standards.

Al Suwaidi stressed the role the political leadership can play in developing government performance and referred to the experience of Dubai and the Government Excellence Awards launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE. The annual awards help distinguish good experiences from those in need of improvement.

At the end of the meeting, the visiting delegation thanked the GIA and Salem Al Suwaidi for the warm reception they received and expressed their wish to hold further meetings in the future.

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© Press Release 2010