Dubai School of Government moves to help modernise public sector organisations across the Arab world.

The Dubai School of Government (DSG), in partnership with Microsoft, will help government modernisation programmes succeed across the Arab world through an information-sharing web portal that will enable effective cross-government collaboration, the company said in a statement.

DSG will launch the portal with the aim to make it easier for regional governments to exchange knowledge, best practices, and experience about effective government policies, programmes, and solutions, it added.

This follows the goals of its patron UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum to promote good governance through enhancing the region’s capacity for effective public policy.

“We have identified e-government as a powerful tool to promote public-sector efficiency, transparency and accountability across the Arab world. That’s why helping countries get this right is so important to us and why we have agreed to take over management and further develop this portal,” said DSG Executive President Nabil Ali Alyousuf.

“To ensure we have the most effective and user-friendly website, we are collaborating with Microsoft. Their global expertise, training, and software tools, as well as their proven commitment to supporting good governance with technology solutions and training, make them the ideal partner for this project,” said AlYousuf.

Microsoft will help DSG launch the portal and then provide technical expertise, training, and post-launch assistance. The portal will use a Solution Sharing Network (SSN) from Microsoft programme specifically to help the region’s different public-sector communities share solutions and best practices, as well as Microsoft’s server software that facilitates information sharing and management across diverse users.

“The portal represents a powerful example of how technology can be applied to help governments operate more effectively and provide better services to their customers – the citizens, residents and businesses located in their respective countries,” said Microsoft Gulf General Manager Charbel Fakhoury.

The Middle East portal will function as a repository for the exchange and discussion of ideas, research, strategy, and documents that can be used by other community members. Portal members include e-government practitioners and academics in the region, as well as e-government experts from around the world.

DSG worked closely with the Information and Communication Technology for the Development of the Arab Region (ICTDAR), which introduced the concept of the portal at the 2005 World Summit for Information Society in Tunisia.

ICTDAR assists Arab states in harnessing technology to improve public administration performance, stimulate private-sector growth, increase private-sector participation in development, reduce poverty, and generate employment. – TradeArabia News Service