The findings of the 2012 UN e-Government Readiness Survey for Gulf states have revealed that a majority of GCC members have improved their rankings, stated a press release. Oman made a jump to 64 from 82, while UAE rose to 28th in 2012 as compared to 49th in 2010, highlighting the focus, significance and resources being applied to the region’s e-Government agenda.

The survey is carried out every two years and takes a look into how countries around the world are progressing towards achieving e-Government status. This year’s report illustrates that many countries have put in place e-Government initiatives including the acceleration of the adoption of ICT across the public sector in order to deliver more efficient, more transparent, more inclusive and more sustainable government to all citizens. Countries that lead the index  have moved beyond basic e-services to integrated systems that link different institutions and departments offering a single point of contact to the public. This is where Gulf countries shine, the report said.

“Although the UN 2012 surveys shows that no country has a single sign-on integrated portal, the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar are among the ten closest to such a feat,” said Jamil Ezzo, director general of the ICDL GCC Foundation, a body responsible for the globally recognised and accredited International Computer Driving licence (ICDL).

“The UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia also appear in the top 25 leaders of emerging countries in e-Government development, ranking 8th, 16th and 21st respectively. This proves the seriousness of the e-Government agenda cross the Gulf region.”

Digital literacy is one of the key indicators used by the UN report to measure a country’s progress in e-readiness.