DED hosts delegation from Diplomatic Ladies Group

The Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) hosted a delegation from the Diplomatic Ladies Group, formed by the wives of Consul Generals of various embassies in Dubai and headed by Larisa Krasnogor, wife of the Russian consul-general to Dubai and chariman of the Group.The visit is part of the social, cultural and economic co-operation between the UAE government institutions and the various strata of the society.Mr Mohammed Shael, CEO, Business Registration and Licensing Division; Mr Mohammed Hilal, CEO, Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection; Mr Abdulrahman Shaban, Executive Director Governance and Internal Audit; and Mohammed Bushanain, Executive Director Business Excellence Centre, DED, received the visiting delegation who were given an insight into DED’s initiatives in business development, economic affairs, compliance & commercial protection and quality management.In an open dialouge, representatives from DED gave a comprehensive review of the Department’s role in enhancing the growth of Dubai’s business sector, DED’s relations with other government bodies, and the various programs, activities and initiatives provided by DED for customers and staff.Mr Mohammed Shael, who welcomed the delegation, reiterated the Department’s commitment to enhancing the economic growth of the emirate, increasing its competitiveness, promoting investment opportunities and consolidating Dubai’s standing as a knowledge-based economy. He said: “One of the strategic objectives of DED is to provide a suitable environment for international investors and entrepreneurs, and to encourage them to choose Dubai as an ideal destination for businesses”.“The visit of the Diplomatic Ladies Group goes a long way towards strengthening the long-standing relations between DED and various sectors of the society, and will contribute to enhancing the services offered to customers,” said Mr Shael.
 

First ’Dubai Statistics Center Award’ Announced

Dubai Statistics Center (DSC) yesterday (Tuesday, May 05, 2009) announced the winners of the first ‘Dubai Statistics Center Award’ during a ceremony held at the Dubai Police Officers’ Club. Awards were given in four categories – Government Institutions; Private Organisations; the Media; and Households – which have demonstrated their support towards statistical work.

Arif Obaid Al Muhairi, Executive Director of DSC, said that the award comes within the Center’s strategic framework which aims to activate the role of statistical work and raise awareness in different categories, and added that the award creates an environment of healthy competition. He pointed out that all levels of society, including the government departments and organisations, private institutions, individuals, families and the media have a role to play in supporting statistical work and enhance its direct contribution to planning activities and decision making.

Al Muhairi explained that organisations and individuals can contribute to statistical work, by providing timely, accurate and comprehensive data to the Center when it conducts census and statistical surveys. He said that accurate statistics are also important when issuing statistical indicators about Dubai, which form the basis for future estimates and forecasts, and for planning and decision making. Al Muhairi also revealed that the award will be presented annually as the Center continues its focus on developing the assessment standards of the candidates.

Winners of category 1 – Government institutions supporting statistical work:Five government departments and organisations won the ‘Dubai Statistics Center Award’ for the category ‘Government institutions supporting statistical work’ for the year 2008, these include: Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department (DNRD), Department of Economic Development (DED), Dubai Municipality, Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities (DICD) and Dubai eGovernment.

Director of DNRD, Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri received the award on behalf of DNRD, which was recognised for its continuous focus on providing statistical data, despite the complexity of Dubai’s demographic profile. DNRD, whose statistics are regularly used by planners, decision makers and strategic committees, is also an active member of the Statistical Coordination Committee in Dubai.

The award for the Department of Economic Development (DED) was received by Khalid Al Kassim, Deputy Director General for Planning and Development at DED. The department was recognised for its support of statistical work as it is the first department to provide its statistics for electronic upload, which gave DSC access to latest statistical frameworks that are used as a basis for conducting economic surveys in the emirate and for the calculation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The department is also an active member of the Statistical Coordination Committee in Dubai.

The award for Dubai Municipality was received by H.E. Eng. Issa Al Hajj Al Midor, Assistant General Manager, General Project Affairs at Dubai Municipality. Dubai Municipality is regarded as the pioneering government department to support statistical work in the emirate as it hosted DSC when it was set up and has continuously supported the Center ever since. Dubai Municipality is also an active member of the Statistical Coordination Committee in Dubai.

The award for the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities was received by H.E. Saeed Khamis Al Marhoumi, Assistant Director General of Technical Support at DICD. The department was honoured for its initiatives in collaborating with non-profit organisations and providing statistical data for these partner agencies of long standing. DICD provided data on financial resources quickly and accurately; the information was to be used in a specialised survey as part of the calculation of the GDP.

Dubai eGovernment was also a recipient, with Matar Saeed Al Humairi, Head of Application Management Unit, Government Information Resources Planning Department, receiving the award. Dubai eGovernment was recognized for its exceptional support in providing the technical infrastructure for electronic statistical linking. It was particularly cited for enabling departments and organisations of the Dubai Government such as the Dubai Statistics Center (DSC) to participate at GITEX 2008. DSC’s portal (www.dsc.gov.ae) was launched during the event by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Dubai eGovernment’s activities during GITEX helped the government save on related expenditures.

Winners of category 2 – Private institutions supporting statistical work: Majid Al Futtaim Group, Etisalat and Emaar Properties received the ‘Dubai Statistics Center Award’ under the category “Private institutions supporting statistical work.” The cooperation of the three organisations in the Center’s 2008 economic surveys was highly commended, as they provided their required data in an accurate and comprehensive manner in record time. The award was received by Obeid Mohammed Al Shared, Financial Director, Etisalat; Mohammed Malek, Vice President, Human Resources, Majid Al Futtaim Group; and Essam Galadari, CEO of Emaar Properties. It is worth noting that these surveys provide basic data that are included as inputs for assessing the GDP of the emirate and considered important economic indicators.

Winners of category 3 – Households supporting statistical work: ‘Dubai Statistics Center Award’ for “Households Supporting Statistical Work” is intended to motivate families and individuals to fully cooperate with the Center and respond quickly to censuses and statistical surveys that require accurate and comprehensive data on families. The two households that won the award were those of Mr. Rashed Masoud and Mr. Khalid Hussein Harb.

Winners of category 4 – Media supporting statistical work:Al Bayan Newspaper was chosen as the most supportive of statistical work in Dubai, winning under the category ‘Media supporting statistical work’. The award was received by Hamad Salmeen, Head of Local Affairs at Al Bayan. The TV channel and radio station of Noor Dubai was named the most exclusive and supportive channel/radio. The event honoured distinguished journalists who have achieved their goals with regard to statistical works in accordance with the highest levels of professionalism.

During the ceremony, Al Muhairi also gave tribute to exclusive suppliers in line with the Center’s efforts to build partnerships and promote mutual interests between them. The Center’s outstanding employees for 2008 were also recognized and commended for their efforts and achievements.

Students Take A Look Into The Future

The Knowledge & Human Development Authority (KHDA) has hosted a two-day exhibition (21st & 22nd April, 2009) to encourage an interest in e-learning.The event, called ZITEX, was staged at KHDA’s offices in Academic City. It was organised by the Public Prosecution (PP) and Dubai Schools Agency (DSA). It included demonstrations of e-services and innovative tools, along with services and products offered by both government institutions and the private sector.ZITEX is poised to be the largest e-learning event of the region. More than 500 students were invited from schools across Dubai to attend this event. The exhibition was open to female students on the first day and male students on the second day.Among those taking part in ZITEX were the Public Prosecution, Dubai Courts, Land Department, Dubai Police, Department of Naturalization & Residency Dubai, Department of Economic Development, RTA, Dubai Municipality, Tamkeen, The Higher Colleges of Technology, Du, Ministry of Education, Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Est., Emirates Identity Authority, Solid Language Institute, Centre of Ambulance Services, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, DEWA, British Computer Society – Middle East, Netcome Systems Company and Sheikh Zayed Housing Program.HE Fatma All Marri ,CEO of Dubai School Agency, said: “Exhibitions like this one play a prominent role in bringing about a technology culture among students. The presence of more than 500 students from Dubai secondary schools at the exhibition reflects that we are working towards making students the real beneficiaries of such exhibitions.” She added: “The exhibition reflects the cooperation that exists between Government departments in Dubai.”Essam Issa Alhomydan, Dubai Attorney General, said: “Taking part in ZITEX is part of our strategic plan towards social responsibility and service to the community at large. We are sponsoring this event to promote e-education amongst students and also educate them about the application of technology in the workplace, thereby helping them prepare for the challenging and competitive job market.”He added: “There is healthy competition between the government and private sector to actively leverage technology to serve the society and improve customer satisfaction. PP is working in co-operation with different establishments, especially with students, to deliver this message of social security across communities for a brighter future.”Fayza Abd Al Kareem Al Sowaylem, Director of Zabeel School, said: “We are happy and honored to see the participation and support for ZITEX which is aimed at showcasing to students how technology is applied in real-life situations.“This exhibition is one of many organized by the IT section of the school. Last year, we organized a charity exhibition to help orphans in our school. We thank the government and private sectors sharing their knowledge in the IT field. Our special thanks go to Public Prosecution for supporting us and making us feel that we are not alone in promoting education. We have sincere partners with a sense of national spirit and commitment to build a brighter future for the next generation.”
 

Dubai Customs – A Year Of Achievements And Excellence

Dubai Customs is considered one of the oldest government institutions in Dubai, where it was established more than a century ago. Dubai Customs has been and still is the gate to Dubai’s prosperity through a long series of achievements accumulated over the history that now has become one of the leading customs departments in the world.

The year of 2008 has witnessed a significant increase in the commercial traffic compared to 2007, where the increase amounted 20% by comparing the number of the accomplished customs data in the past two years.

It is worth mentioning that Dubai Customs has also confiscated a large number of smuggling attempts, such as the largest smuggling attempts of historical antiques, confiscating the smuggling attempt of endangered animals and plant, as well as stopping a drug smuggling attempts that value millions of dirhams.