Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) Chief Executive, Mohammed Ali Al Qaed represented Bahrain at the 22nd GCC eGovernment Executive Committee meeting, which was held in Riyadh via video conference and attended by chief executives and director generals of GCC eGovernments.
The committee discussed a range of topics on its agenda, following up and reviewing joint and proposed initiatives. The meeting also covered knowledge management and information infrastructure activities, as well as a regulatory framework which implements the third stage of the GCC Pilot eGovernment Strategy. They also reviewed a planned online portal for the GCC countries.
The Kingdom of Bahrain highlighted a model for measuring the progress of the GCC Pilot eGovernment Strategy, as well as its future requirements. Al Qaed presented details of the draft study, which was based on five key strategic goals, including improving performance, enhancing cooperation, supporting digital integration, achieving sustainability, and enhancing competitiveness among GCC countries in the field of eGovernment, both on the regional and global levels.
The committee also reviewed the findings of the study of unified purchase for software and hardware programmes for the GCC, which was presented by the Sultanate of Oman. In addition, the minutes of the 17th meeting of the GCC Committee of National Centers for Computer Emergency Response were discussed and accepted and the direction was given to implement the recommendations. They also discussed developments related to linking the General Secretariat to the eGovernment network, the efforts of GCC countries to confront and minimize the impact of the COVID-19 virus, and lessons learned from the pandemic, including a review of each country’s efforts in deploying technology to limit its spread.
At the end of the meeting, Al Qaed congratulated the members on their results on achieving high positions in the UN eGovernment Index 2020, wishing them further success.
Held periodically, the GCC eGovernment Executive Committee meeting aims to enhance cooperation between GCC countries allowing knowledge exchange them to exchange experience. This has resulted in a number of important recommendations that have helped elevate the performance of regional eGovernment organizations.