Qatar has moved up the ladder in the global ranking in e-government and e-services. A recent e-Government Survey released by the United Nations (UN) has raised Qatar’s position to number 27 in the global ranking of e-government services, a significant improvement from its previous ranking of 90 in 2010.

The Survey also placed Qatar at number nine in the e- Participation index for 2012.

Assistant Secretary General of ictQatar Hassan al Sayed said, “The rise in the rankings demonstrates Qatar’s prioritisation of making our government more responsive and transparent for those its serves through an integrated e-Government strategy. We are delighted with the progress we are making, but we are just at the beginning. We intend to further our progress and work towards making Qatar’s egovernment a world leader in accessibility and user friendliness.”

Hukoomi, the Qatari government’s portal, was commended in the report for undertaking citizen-centred services, which reflected in the raising of Qatar’s global rankings. Hukoomi was highlighted as a case study in the survey for excellence in integration of e-services across government agencies and functions. The online services include visa applications, payment for utilities, settlement of traffic violations and renewal of health cards, among others.

Hukoomi’s easy access to more than 100 topics and articles relating to Qatari law and society were noted as a significant accomplishment in the case study, as well as its direct integration to subportals, including e-tendering.

The UN survey highlights Qatar’s strategy, which is being coordinated by ictQatar, to develop a strategic plan for the implementation of an integrated government programme. The plan aims to provide an enabling ICT environment through legislation, policies, guidelines and standards, such as the e-commerce law, security policy and data protection policy. It addresses ICT ‘readiness’ by offering eservices through a unified system of government networks; aims to provide a centralised, secure, government data centre and a payment platform and seeks to improve usage by increasing the number of e-services such as businesses’ registration, visa services and resident permits.

The 2012 edition of the United Nations e-Government Survey, titled EGovernment for People, is compiled by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in order to measure the performance of e-government in its member states.

The purpose of the survey is to assess whether countries are deploying e-government for inclusion-for-all. The online service index measures development of online service delivery to citizens and businesses through the Internet and other digital means while the e-Participation index is indicative on how governments create an environment in which citizens can be more active and supportive of their governments.

Besides the accolade received in the UN report, Hukoomi was also recently recognised by Mada (Qatar Assistive Technology Center), a non-profit organisation that aims to empower people with disabilities through ICT’s, as being the most accessible website in Qatar for 2012. Mada declared Hukoomi the winner of the e-accessibility award at QITCOM 2012 held recently.