Category: Uncategorized

14/01/2014

It must be known that the Emirates Identity Authority has recently won the “Summit International Creative Award”  in the category of ‘Best Government Website Excellence in Leadership and Development of Strategies for Digital Content and Cognitive Information’.

The award is annually organized by ‘Summit International Creative Awards’ in USA. Several entities from 9 countries across the globe competed for this year’s award, but it finally went to Emirates ID.

The winning is a new achievement to add to Emirates ID’s excellence record in all fields and at local, regional and international levels.

It is also a result of efforts exerted by those who are responsible for Emirates ID’s website and their keenness to consistently develop it for people to benefit from its services and contents easily and conveniently, as well as their commitment to implement the award’s standards.

Moreover, such an achievement is not surprising for Emirates ID who has accomplished many other successes and is continuing to do so, and thus it has become an example for others in pioneering, creativity and excellence.

Emirates ID’s primary achievement was the completion of the UAE population register and enrolling all citizens and residents in the ID card project. It was a mega civilized global achievement that adds to UAE’s achievements who excelled in all sectors, fields and domains.

This achievement was followed by another great one, which is the eTransformation in government services across country and the provision of advanced services for people and organizations, a matter which helps simplify people’s lives and comes in line with the UAE Vision 2021.

No doubt, successes are many, key projects and initiatives launched by Emirates ID are countless and these all contributed to elevating government services. However, what should be under focus now is the Authority’s new strategic plan 2014-2016, as accuracy of the population data is vital and this is what Emirates ID is concentrating on in its new plan. The Authority is seeking to provide accurate smart demographical information that can support decision makers in the country.

Additionally, the ID card should be boosted to become more adopted by individuals and organizations in public and private sectors, particularly that we are still seeing some entities who don’t interact with the ID card and insist on using passports, which is against Emirates ID’s efforts aimed to innovate in developing customer service and upgrading organizational excellence levels so as to achieve the highest levels of customer satisfaction.

 

07/01/2014

While navigating Mr. Google in search for topics on innovation at work, a magnificent phrase stopped me and I felt that I need to share with my colleagues and the visitors of the Emirates Identity Authority website. The phrase says: “Correct your mistakes instead of blaming yourself”.

The meanings of this phrase urged me to call upon myself and my colleagues to start the New Year with determination to leave our own footprints and contribute to Emirates ID’s excellence. This can be done through doubling efforts and participating each in their capabilities in supporting the Authority’s march towards pioneering. Our contributions will definitely help guide Emirates ID on the right track.

Here is a call upon every fellow within this Emirati distinguished edifice not to be careless about your mistakes. Careless people are big losers, because those who don’t learn from their mistakes will never get the opportunity to learn. It is also a call for you not to be part of the other group of people who get terrified of making mistakes, and following a mistake they severely blame themselves. Those people tend to avoid doing anything out of fear of making mistakes. Both types are wrong. Be a person who tries to avoid doing mistakes, and if it occurred; doesn’t get frustrated. Let self-blaming be constructive and encouraging.

You need to always move on steadily and be confident of your capability to be one of the loyal soldiers who drive the ship with determination and will, since the true success is measured by comparing what you do with what you can do.

You are not required to be careless about work and repeat your mistakes; but rather do your job while trying not to do mistakes, as this is the path to success and innovation. Do your tasks even if the possibility of committing mistakes exists; learn from your past mistakes to consistently develop your outcomes.

Once failed, try again and be determined to correct yourself and achieve success. There is a root cause for every failure, correct it and you will get to satisfactory results. Stop blaming yourself and always remember that “today’s seeds are the roses of tomorrow and the thorns of the day after”.

 

15/12/2013

I had the great honor to meet His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during my participation in the Youth Media Leadership Training Course organized by Kuwait’s Public Authority for Youth and Sports in collaboration with Emirates Foundation for Youth Development. It was a meeting which I would never forget as HH Sheikh Mohammed spoke with me face to face with the attention and love of a father and leader.

Today I recall the scene in full and ponder upon HH Sheikh Mohammed’s utmost attention to the younger generation and how keen he is on encouraging and urging this segment of the society to reach the highest echelons, show patience, remove the word (impossible) from their dictionary and engage in voluntary work, which is highly important for the advancement of countries.

On that day we had the opportunity to ask questions to HH Sheikh Mohammed. I raised my hand with confidence, not to ask him a question but to express our gratitude for the opportunities we – the younger generations – were being offered by our beloved country and wise leadership.

Trying to remember the events, I smile and I feel proud of the leadership of our country. At that moment, I was sitting directly behind HH Sheikh Mohammed. When I asked my question, he turned to me, smiling, and told us with an affectionate paternal tone: “stay where you are, I will turn to you and listen to what you have.”

I said to him: “It is our pride to stand in front of and behind your Highness; it is a great honor to talk with you.”

He then allowed me and my sister to stand in front of him and express what we had in mind.

We told HH Sheikh Mohammed that during the training course we wanted to leave a mark with the Kuwaiti delegation and to familiarize the visiting delegation with the importance of the UAE success in hosting the World Expo 2020. We explained to them that they could be part of the event as soon as they knew about Dubai nomination file. Then we distributed the Expo logo on all the participants in the course from both the Kuwaiti and UAE delegations. As a result, we were named the “Expo Sisters.

At that moment , we told HH Sheikh Mohammed: “We thought that Expo 2020 is the event and that the participants are part of that event, but we were mistaken, because the event is you my lord.. The event is HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid and the rest are part of the event.”

The attendees were surprised at our courage and were glad to see HH Sheikh Mohammed smiling with the modesty of a leader who previously dedicated the win of this event to our leader, President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and to the UAE people.

Following those words, we talked to the Kuwaiti delegation about the sign launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed and signified (Win, Victory and Love). This sign was stuck in the minds of Emiratis, became their companion in the UAE march towards number 1 globally and was the focus of souvenir photos.

Later, I was very lucky to have a souvenir photo with HH Sheikh Mohammed. There were moments that would remain immortal in my memory. I told HH Sheikh Mohammed how happy and proud I was to be standing besides him and talking to him. I also told him that I would like my souvenir photo with him to be different from the other photos. I did not know how I dared to whisper in his ear that I wanted the photo to be taken while we were raising his own sign!

“As you like, my daughter”, he said with his usual kind smile.

It is a nice feeling beyond description; I cannot express it in words. His words truly reflected the phrase “the happiest people in the world live in the UAE”. This is why we have the right to be proud of our wise leadership.

While writing my article, I wished heartily that all the Emirates ID staff would have this opportunity and feel the positive energy that we felt while we were in the presence of HH Sheikh Mohammed, whose words were full of lessons, proverbs, love and inspiration to the younger generation.

We should not forget that promoting the spirit of love and devotion among the generations is one of the concepts that were reinforced and instilled in the hearts of citizens by our founding father the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may Allah rest his soul).

08/12/2013

Each one of us has a name, and each name has a story to tell. While the details of our names vary, each name still has a meaning that distinguishes it from the other.

A man is proud of his pedigree and origin and so he names his son after his father. Hence, the name becomes a mark and a predecessor that echoes the glory of grandfathers.. Another man names his son after a beloved person he lost in order to recall in memory the image of a good man in a beautiful time. Hence, the name brings back the old scent or part of it, leaving a nice memory.

The birth dates of some people have a story by which the stories of their names are associated. Those born in December often have the names of the founding fathers of our beloved country and hence the scents of their names are firmly established in the history of the “Union” memory.

Some others give strange names to their children. We may come across many strange names throughout our work in the Emirates Identity Authority. This is because we receive people from more than 200 countries living and working in the UAE and are sometime curious to ask a customer about the meaning of their names or search for it in a search engine. We inquire about different names and their meanings, no matter whether they are Arab or foreign names.

Out of courtesy and good reception, however, we must still call a customer by their names without clamor or doubt. No matter how familiar or strange the name is, our job is to put a smile on faces and respect our customers and their names because they are our guests and our religion necessitates us to be generous with guests and treat them respectfully.

Dec 03/2013

In his speech marking the 42^nd National Day, President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan presented a comprehensive vision of the concept of progress, which was not only restricted to raising the indicators of economic growth but focused attention on its social, cultural, political, security and knowledge-related dimensions and aspects as well. This is the secret behind the excellent experience of the UAE development and advancement, where progress, as affirmed by HH UAE President, is measured by the quality of life, well-being, development and the rule of law.

HH UAE President affirmed that “no future for our development without local culture” and “Development that does not protect the family, that does not inspire the bringing together of the culture of society and its ethics, is development that is incomplete, regardless of its returns”. This  reflects one of the most important features of the UAE model of development, which is characterized by being open to the world an integrated with it while interacting with its modern achievements as part of preserving the cultural and civilized identity of the society as this is the  bond that gathers the members of the society together and preserves its cohesion and integrity. Our leadership believes that the world’s cultural diversity is a source of wealth and not a cause for hostility or confrontation and that every culture has something to offer to the human civilization.

No development without security that provides a suitable environment for it and is based on loyalty to the homeland and its leadership, respect for the constitution, abidance by the law and commitment to the values ​​of the society. This is what was affirmed in HH UAE President’s speech and demonstrated by the experiences of ancient and contemporary history; the stability of any society is the key to its progress, while the manifestations of disorder and tussle destroy all its development achievements, exhaust its efforts and take it many years back. Security, which the UAE is known for, is one of its most important sources of its excellence and supremacy in terms of development on the regional and international arenas. Based on this, the UAE prudent leadership is keen on adopting a comprehensive and modern concept of security that maintains the stability of the homeland and fortifies its internal front in the face of any tendentious attempt to penetrate or destroy it. This rendered the UAE an oasis of security and peace of mind and a model of social cohesion and the people’s belonging to their country and loyalty to their leadership.

Education was the path used by all nations in their transition from weakness to strength, poverty to affluence and backwardness to progress and urbanization. This was already understood by our prudent leadership since the inception of the UAE and was underlined by HH UAE President in his speech. Sheikh Khalifa said: “No future for development that is not based on advanced education capable of producing knowledge. This is the route used by the UAE in its development plans for the ultimate goal of becoming one of the best countries of the world in 2021.

The vision, put forward by HH UAE President in his speech marking the 42^nd National Day, is full of deep and civilized connotations that reveal one aspect of excellence of the UAE development experience and show that the UAE is on the right track towards the

Nov 14/2013

In all standards, it is an achievement. An achievement to be attributed to the Emirates Identity Authority and adds to all its non-stop achievements.

Before anything else, it’s a scientific achievement for the UAE which has become a model for other countries in development, growth and advancement as well as in pioneering and excellence experiences which have become the focus of the whole world.

I’m referring here to the invitation received by Emirates ID from the consortium in charge of EU’s Secure Identity Across Borders Linked 2.0 (STORK 2.0) project to join the consortium as “Special Advisor”. STORK 2.0 is one of the largest strategic projects carried out by the European Union to develop a mechanism to identify and confirm individuals’ identities in its countries. It also aims to achieve great benefits in the areas of economy and security.

No doubt, selection of the UAE represented by Emirates ID by such a prestigious entity like the EU Consortium which is in charge of setting up the unified identity system in the ‘Euro’ Zone, has several meanings and connotations. It is an evidence that the UAE has become a pioneer in managing the advanced ID and in developing its secure, modern and reliable systems. UAE’s experience is distinguished among other countries and has become a motive for them to follow its steps. Moreover, the projects launched and being launched by Emirates ID aiming more development and progress are the focus of others.

The selection is a recognition of the importance of UAE’s experience which should be followed in application and execution, particularly that it is connected to economic and security issues and closely linked to infrastructure projects such as health, commerce, education, economy, finance and other services related to quality and smart service.

Hence, selection of the UAE and the Emirates Identity Authority to join the EU consortium was not done by chance, but it was based on a pioneering experience in the field and a result of excellence, innovation, launch of creative projects, strategies and initiatives under the support of the country’s prudent leadership. This has created a global reputation for the UAE while going through such an experience that has become a model for other countries in the world to follow and implement.

24/10/2013

Cyber attacks have become a growing threat for individuals and businesses in recent times, particularly in light of the increasing reliance on modern technology in fields like telecommunications, administration, banking and finance, which are the prime targets for cyber criminals. In this context, the recent report by Symantec, a data and information Security specialized firm, showed that the UAE’s financial losses resulting from electronic attacks totaled AED 1.8 billion in the past 12 months ending in September 2013. 55% of the losses amounting at AED 1.046 billion were the share of individual internet users, while losses of businesses were more than AED 790 million during the same period.

The UAE is among the countries that are highly vulnerable to cyber attacks in the region, especially that it comes at the top in terms of internet usage, adoption of digital technology and e-readiness as part of its drive towards knowledge economy, enablement of digital culture and dissemination of eTransactions across ministries and government entities to keep pace with developments in the modern world. This played role in making the UAE a target for cyber hackers who take advantage of some people’s lack of awareness of the techniques used in the cyber attacks. Those techniques are mainly focused on hacking credit card numbers and bank fraud attempts using sophisticated methods in order to illegally withdraw money by faking certain documents or hacking the bank’s code or PINs of customers’ accounts.

There is no doubt that cyber attacks had negative impacts on individuals and business climate in the UAE. However, what eases the fear is that there are parallel formal and semi-formal movements to provide a more secure space for eTransactions and maintain a digital environment that strengthens trust in these transactions. The UAE’s various government entities have accelerated the adoption of the most sophisticated digital applications and the latest techniques and solutions related to network security in their integrated bases. Moreover, the active efforts by security services and the police are capable of addressing these cyber crimes with a high degree of efficiency and professionalism as they continuously develop and upgrade their physical and technical capabilities and potentials as well as improve their human resources’ performance. They are also keen to keep up with the different technological and electronic developments in the world in relation to combating cybercrimes and Electronic Forensic Science in order to find expertise in the field of information security to address the different types of cyber attacks and swiftly track the attackers.

As individuals are the main targets of cyber attacks in the UAE, it has become very important to work on raising their awareness of the new methods used in electronic fraud and how to combat them. Although the Ministry of Interior launched several awareness-raising initiatives to warn people and companies against such crimes, it is still important for all concerned entities and authorities to participate in increasing public awareness of this phenomenon in order to effectively combat it and eliminate its impacts as much as possible.

 

Oct 21, 2013

The UAE’s digital ID card project has been a successful experience at all levels. It adopts the highest levels of excellence and quality and implements the world’s best practices. This helped make the Authority a reference for many countries and international entities. Highlights in this regard, is the memorandum of understanding recently signed between the Emirates Identity Authority and the United Nations based on which the UN will benefit from UAE’s experience in developing advanced identity programs globally. Under the MoU, Emirates ID and the UN will implement joint initiatives and projects in the field of sustainable development and boost knowledge society on the global level through organizing international conferences and workshops and conducting specialized researches.

There is no doubt that the attention given by the UAE to the digital ID project reflects the priority given to building up the information and statistics sector  in the country’s total development strategy. It also reflects the serious efforts exerted to convert plans, strategies and objectives in this respect into tangible actions on grounds. The progress witnessed by the UAE today requires development of IT and statistics sectors being vital elements linked to the different development plans and strategies.

The digital ID project with its integrated civil electronic biometric database, the world’s largest database within its population register, is very significant as it boosts UAE’s global position, helps achieve the UAE Vision 2021 aiming for UAE to become one the best countries in the world and contributes in realizing the objectives of the comprehensive and sustainable development. The database, standard procedures and comprehensive and accurate information provided by the project should help the country’s institutions and entities to organize their policies and set up their various plans that require availability of a highly authenticated information, particularly those related to workforces and demography, keeping up to the requirements of economic development and its plans in various sectors.

The Emirates Identity Authority has become a model for excellence and success. It  has won several local and international awards and certificates in recognition of its successes and innovations in the smart identity and information security fields. Among the awards was the ‘BIZZ 2013 Award’ granted annually by the World Confederation of Business in appreciation for its role in establishing a modern population database for the UAE that supports streamlining services of both public and private sectors. Emirates ID has also won the ‘Quality Achievements Award’ granted by the European Society for Quality based in Switzerland, and the ‘ICT Leadership Award’, part of the Middle East Business Leaders Summit and Awards during the 4th edition of the Middle East Business Leaders Summit and Awards 2013 held in Abu Dhabi. In September 2013, His Highness General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the UAE and Chairman of Emirates ID, received, on behalf of Emirates ID, 3 ISO certificates issued by the British Standards Institution: (ISO 9001 – Quality Management System), (ISO 27001 – Information Security Management System) and (The International Customer Service Standard TICSS).

19/10/2013

The UAE under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (may Allah save him) is distinguished by its ongoing quest to excel and pioneer in all areas. Therefore, the UAE always promotes the culture of excellence, creativity and innovation as a methodology of work at all government institutions across the country.

To this extent, His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, said in his speech launching the “Abu Dhabi Entrepreneurship Forum (ADEF) 2013”: “the UAE boasts of possessing all the elements of pioneering and is committed to providing a general climate that encourages leadership, initiative and innovation and brings growth and progress the entire nation”. ADEF was recently organized by “Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development” under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Today, the UAE realizes that establishing a society based on innovation and creativity has become a must in order to transform into knowledge economy and achieve the goals of the comprehensive and sustainable development, while also achieving excellence and leadership in all areas regionally and globally. For that reason, UAE adopted several initiatives to encourage creativity and innovation, particularly setting up the Technical Innovation City in Abu Dhabi, with support from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to be a center for education, research and technology transfer. Besides, the UAE government sponsored a number of awards to encourage research and creativity, such as the “Young Emirati Innovators” Award, the Patent Award, and “Zayed Future Energy Prize”, the biggest prize worldwide which targets development of innovative solutions to create sustainable energy future. This complements the big attention given by the UAE government to scientific research based on innovation and creativity aiming to prepare national cadres possessing the tools of modern knowledge and capable of utilizing these tools to serve the objectives of development in all sectors.

The UAE’s keen interest to build up a society of innovation and creativity has become a tangible reality whose positive results began to reflect in its excellence in the global competitiveness indexes. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report (2013-2014) issued in September 2013, UAE was ranked 19th overall on the Global Competitiveness Index beating many advanced countries such as France, Ireland and Australia. On some key sub-indexes the UAE was among the top countries in the world, where it ranked 1^st in roads quality, absence of organized crimes and containment of the effects of inflation.

The report clearly showed that for the eighth consecutive years the UAE has maintained its presence among the “Creativity-and-Innovation-based Economies); the highest growth level of global economies.

The progress that has been achieved by the UAE in this field resulted from the adoption of creativity and innovation methodology by government institutions across the country. In this context, the ‘Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research’ (ECSSR) played an outstanding role in promoting the culture of creativity and innovation through its various activities and events. ECSSR has organized last month the 4^th Education Annual Conference titled “Future of Education in the UAE: Innovation and Knowledge Production’. The conference addressed the relationship between innovation-based education and the development process. H.E. Dr. Jamal Sanad Al Suwaidi, Director General of ECSSR, stressed that the new pillars of today’s economy rely heavily on science and innovation.. The society that produces knowledge and use it to serve the development process is the one to prevail on the world’s competitiveness map.

01/10/2013

“Akhbar Al-Sa’ah” bulletin highlighted UAE’s keenness to consistently and directly communicate with its citizens, pay attention to their views and ideas and learn about their needs in order to achieve the interaction and cohesion that should lead to security and stability in the country.

In its editorial entitled “Cohesion between leadership and people is the source of stability”, the bulletin referred to the statement of His Highness Lt.-General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Vice-Chairman of the Emirates Identity Authority, when he said that the unique cohesion between the prudent leadership and the UAE people is the cornerstone of the unique stability, security and welfare enjoyed in the UAE today under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sheikh Saif made his remarks in a lecture on national security at the National Defence College in Abu Dhabi.

The bulletin, issued by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, clarified that the creative interaction between UAE’s leadership and citizens is one of the key characteristics of the country since its inception.

Over the past decades, this cohesion was the protecting fence to UAE’s unity experience and the solid basis for realizing miraculous achievements in the different fields of development. UAE’s wise leadership is always keen, since the days of late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to directly communicate with its citizens, listen to their views and ideas and keep their doors open to them. No barriers between the leadership and people exist and no obstacles to hinder their interaction and cohesion, which is a live and practical embodiment of the meaning of democracy and the philosophy behind its objectives.

The bulletin added that the model given by our wise leadership in its relationship with the citizens has been protecting UAE’s safety and stability. It has been making the UAE’s society immune against any infiltration attempts by any extremist groups whatever their theme may be and whichever pretexts they may hide behind in order to achieve their suspected objectives that have nothing to do with the society’s values and beliefs.

The bulletin went on saying that the UAE is moving ahead towards the future full of confidence that it had established a correct and strong political and social structure, and with absolute faith that any attempts to trigger chaos in the society will fail in front of the deeply rooted belonging and loyalty Emiratis carry to their country, their full allegiance to their leadership and the values of tolerance, integration and moderation they believe in and which are being promoted and consolidated by the wise leadership’s sayings and deeds.

The article referred to the recent statements by the Secretary General of the GCC, Dr. Abdullatif Al Zayani, when he emphasized that the spirit of tolerance, love and moderation which characterizes Gulf societies, particularly in the UAE, had given them the ability to protect their countries and preserve their achievements.

The editorial concluded that the UAE adopts a comprehensive vision of the national security with citizen as its core because the citizen is a partner in building and protecting this security and is its main target. This stems from the pivotal position and utmost priority given to citizens by the prudent leadership in their policies, plans, current and future visions in a framework of the stage of empowerment launched by His Highness, the President, in 2005. The goal of the stage of empowerment is the creation of innovative environment to enable people to acquire the necessary elements of power in order to increase their participation and contribution to the various social, political, economic, and intellectual aspects of life.