Bahrain to host un public administration network steering committee’s meeting
Members to discuss ways of exchanging expertise and knowledge between Arab nations
As part of the various activities that will accompany the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum 2009, Bahrain will host the next meeting of United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN) Steering Committee on the 28th of May. The meeting is organized by the eGovernment Authority's (eGA) in Bahrain.
The committee is comprised of senior officials from various eGovernment and educational bodies such as the Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and Dubai School of Business.
The committee members hail from several Arab countries - including Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE – which were selected due to their advanced experience in the field of eGovernment and contribute to setting the strategies and plans needed to enable Arab countries to become eGovernment ready.
The committee was formed from a larger committee that includes the UN and all Arab countries which met in Lebanon in September 2008 which nominated Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt for membership. The committee also agreed on Bahrain to host the next steering committee meeting, which will discuss several important issues such as setting a regular meeting schedule and agree on the mechanisms to ensure that its resolutions are executed properly and in a timely fashion as per the committee’s priorities.
eGA CEO Mr. Mohammed Al Qaed welcomed all fellow Arab nations to Bahrain, noting that the meeting aims to create a common mechanism for coordination and exchange expertise and knowledge among them. In addition, the meeting will identify best practice s to effectively implement eGovernment programs in the Arab world, as well as collectively constructing a shared information platform to be used by specialists in this field.
“The Kingdom of Bahrain and countries of this region have made giant strides towards eGovernment, and it is critically important that the Arab nations as a whole exchange their technical and administrative expertise to ensure the success of such important projects."
The Bahrain International eGovernment Forum, which will be held from the 25th to 27th of May, is expected to receive 500 delegates, headed by an elite group of international eGovernment thought leaders and decision-makers, as well as chiefs of various eGovernment authorities, United Nations experts, ICT specialists in the public and government sectors, specialized technology societies, and representatives of industry and chambers of commerce.
