Six government entities have now been declared officially paperless as the first phase of the Dubai Paperless Strategy takes effect.
As the Khaleej Times explains, these government organisations have reduced their paper usage by 57 percent in 6 months, which exceeds the original target of 50 percent.
These six entities consist of the Dubai Police, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Department of Economic Development (DED), Dubai Land Department (DLD), and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).
Some of these organisations “have eliminated their printers and customer service counters to prepare for a full digital transformation in the next two years.”
According to Dr Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr, Director-General of the Smart Dubai Office (SDO), the next phase of the strategy will incorporate a further 10 entities.
“Digital government excellence is our main focus. The transformation will increase the city’s competitiveness, drive its economic growth and make it attractive for investments,” said Bin Bishr.
As well as cutting down on the usage of paper, Dubai’s Paperless Strategy is also targeted at reducing costs, and aims to save the government AED900 million per year ($245 million/€214.8 million).
Wesam Lootah, CEO of the Smart Dubai Government Establishment (SDG) described the three pillars of the strategy as being “technology, legislation and a paper-free culture.”
“We cannot have digital solutions without legislations made to regulate paperless transactions. At the same time, we need to increase awareness among individuals and institutions to overcome the cultural barriers and promote paperless transactions and procedures,” said Lootah.
