Dubai becomes world's first paperless government

Dubai: In a major sustainable move, Dubai has become the world's first paperless government, thereby achieving the objectives of the Dubai Paperless Strategy which was launched in 2018.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, announced Saturday, "Today marks the beginning of a new stage in Dubai's journey to digitise life in all its aspects – a journey rooted in innovation, creativity, and a focus on the future."

The strategy also helped save more than 1.3 billion Dirham (USD 350 million) and over 14-million-man hours across the Dubai Government.

"Four years ago, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, had a vision that no Dubai Government employee or customer would need to print any paper document after 2021," Sheikh Hamdan said. "Today, that promise has been fulfilled."

All internal, external transactions and procedures in the Government of Dubai are now 100 per cent digital and managed from a comprehensive digital government services platform.

"This accomplishment also reinforces Dubai's status as a world-leading digital capital and its status as a role model in designing government operations and services that enhance customer happiness," he said.

The US, UK, Europe and Canada have expressed plans to digitise government operation on a larger scale, which encompass government procedures and citizen identifications. However, sceptics have argues its vulnerability to cyber attacks.

The Dubai Crown Prince said the government plans to implement advanced strategies to create and enhance digital life in Dubai over the next five decades.

"The new phase of Dubai's digital journey will enable and empower future governments to meet the expectations of the residents of a thriving smart city and provide them with renewed opportunities for prosperity, sustainable development, and happiness," he said.

The Dubai Paperless Strategy was implemented in five consecutive phases, each of which enlisted a different group of the Dubai Government's entities.

By the end of the fifth phase, the strategy was fully implemented across all 45 government entities in the emirate.

These entities provide more than 1,800 digital services and over 10,500 key transactions.