In a UNGAID seminar hosted by Bahrain

The Inauguration of the ?Millennium Development Goals eCenter? in Manama to GCC and Africa

A Comprehensive Center to Contribute in Accelerating the eMDGs
The UN to Fund the Establishment of the eCenter

MANAMA ---- 10 August 2010 ---- The Kingdom of Bahrain recently hosted the first National Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) seminar in which concrete plans were discussed and e-solutions aiming at accelerating the achievement of the eCenter for Millennium Development Goals , a ?one-stop shop? that will answer the aforementioned questions and will work as a vital resource for the governments of developing countries and for all development practitioners.

The Seminar was chaired by, The Chairman of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development , Mr. Talal Abu ? Ghazaleh; Mr. Sayed Agha Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Bahrain; Mr. Sergei Kambalov, the Executive Coordinator of the Alliance Secretary; Mr. Sarbouland Khan, the Advisor of the Chairman of Strategy Council of the Alliance, and Dr. Amjad Omar, Director of the Management and e-Business Degree Program and the Information Systems Engineering and Management (ISEM) at the University of Harrisburg, in addition to Mr. Mohammed Ali Al-Qaed, CEO of the eGovernment Authority, and was attended by a number of high officials from several ministries and governmental entities of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The seminar concluded with several significant recommendations for the implementing the MDGs set by the United Nations using ICT tools and modern communication technology. These recommendations include;

The eGovernment Authority, in its capacity as a leader in the ICT field is to establish a Capacity Building Center for Developing Arab Countries and Africa. The Center will be a training and consultancy center based in the Kingdom of Bahrain that will assist various countries based on their needs and requirements, helping them achieve the MDGs;

The United Nations Development Program in Bahrain, represented by Mr. Agha proposed to draft a country template for the Kingdom of Bahrain and other countries to help in the implementation of the MDGs in each country.?

Another recommendation of the seminar was to align the MDGs with Bahrain?s Vision of 2030 through a proposal to the Economic Development Board that aligns the MDGs with the Vision 2030 goals. Once achieved this exemplary model to be showcased as a model for other countries to follow.

The Chairman of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development, Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh praised the Kingdom?s efforts in hosting this event, pointing out the keen interest displayed by Bahrain in the field of ICT, particularly with regard to achieving the MDGs. Further, he praised the Kingdom?s initiative having Bahrain as a model country for the implementation of the eMDGs due to the progression in achieving the goals and the advanced IT progress that the eGovernment Authority has implemented in the Country.

The Chairman of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) praised the pioneering initiative of Bahrain, which made possible holding such a meeting, affirming that the results of this important meeting will be the theme of the forthcoming meeting in the city of New York, United States, for the purpose of preparing the report which will be presented the heads of states and governments at a special event to be held during the High-level Plenary meeting of the United Nations General assembly on 20-22 September 2010.

If the suggestions studied and presented here are approved, the Center will be launched and become operational in March 2011in 1.0 version and an advanced 2.0 version will be released in early 2012.

The Chairman of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development, Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh added: ?We should learn from Bahrain?s pioneering experience when setting the strategic goals by taking the exemplary model of Bahrain?s Economic Vision 2030; the strategic vision that could provide the world with a model in setting national plans which exceed Millennium Goals. Bahrain will become a model to other countries in that field via its economic development vision 2030.

Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh also indicated that all suggestions and initiatives discussed at the seminar will be included in particular document consisting in suggested amendments in the seminar of Bahrain to the Vision which was inaugurated recently in Geneva and which will be presented at the meetings of the Strategy Council of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) during the forthcoming meeting of the month of September in New York lead by the United Nations Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon

While Mr. Mohammed Ali Al Qaed the eGovernment Authority CEO stated: ?The MDGs consist in targeted objectives undertaken by governments and to be achieved by 2015. This seminar is an added value to the countries and governments? efforts in accelerating our pace towards the achievement of these goals by making use of ICT?. He praised the richness of the content of the seminar which includes a number of distinguished international experts in the field of ICT.

He added: ?Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh?s pioneering vision that focuses on the usage of technology has lead the way of making this technology available to all people and not limited to a small category of people, therefore, the contribution to the achievement of MDGs is going faster than ever before, more benefits are accomplished for all. Furthermore, the Kingdom of Bahrain can play an prominent in supporting the development of the role and usage of ICT for the purpose of contributing in achieving local and international development through its pioneer experience in the field of eGovernment and its membership in (GAID)?.

The selection of Mr. Al-Qaed for this position was the result of his efficient role in the coordination common efforts with Arab and Gulf Countries in the field of eGovernment, in addition to the efforts put forth by him when working with regional and international organizations, the UNDESA, the OECD and WSA award. Mr. Al-Qaed also maintained continuous cooperation with advanced countries in the field of eGovernment and agreements signed with the largest international companies in a record time.

Furthermore, the Kingdom of Bahrain was selected as a member of this council by reason of its carefully thought programs and effective implementations in the field of ICT and eGovernment.

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About eGovernment Authority Bahrain

The eGovernment Authority (eGA) was established by Royal Decree No. (69) in August 2007. Reporting to the Cabinet, the eGA aims to coordinate and execute e-government initiatives in line with the strategies, plans, and programs set by the Supreme Committee for Information Communication Technology (SCICT), headed by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister.

The eGA?s role entails everything from proposing overall policies and appropriate legislations to the SCICT for approval to overseeing the execution of the approved SCICT programs. This includes suggesting required IT programs, facilitating communications and services between all government entities, opening new e-channels for e-government services, and offering technical and knowledge-based support to the ministries and other government entities.

Currently, the eGA is working on executing the plans contained within Bahrain?s e-government strategy to achieve the ambitious Bahraini e-initiatives, as well as offering 200 basic governmental services electronically via various communication channels within 3 years to all citizens, residents, and businesses of Bahrain.

The eGA formed up of 4 directorates: Directorate of Policies and BPR, Directorate of Service Delivery and Channel Enhancement, Directorate of Marketing and Awareness and Directorate of Human and Financial Resources and Capacity Building.

For further information please contact:
Sahayer Al Hashimi
eGovernment Authority
Kingdom of Bahrain
Tel +973 17 388252
Fax: +973 17 388338
Email: salhashimi@ega.gov.bh