JEDDAH — Saudi Arabian government entities have won three top honors in the regional level competition for the Best M-Government Service Award, which recognizes excellence in government service. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, honored the winners at the closing ceremony of the third Government Summit 2015 held under the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments.' The Saudi Ministry of Tourism won the award in the tourism sector, while the Saudi Ministry of Education won in the education sector. The third honor was in the healthcare sector with the ‘Qaryebon' app by the National Committee to Promote Mental Health in Saudi Arabia, winning the regional award. From over 411 submissions, 76 entries were qualified for the final phase of the 2nd Best M-Government Service Awards 2015. Among the 80 submissions from Arab countries, 30 were from Saudi Arabia followed by Oman with 14, Qatar with 12, Bahrain with 11 and Kuwait with six. Two entries each were received from Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco and one entry from Sudan. Over 181 entries were from UAE universities and government entities, of which 96 were by students representing 20 universities, highlighting their strong interest in the awards nation-wide. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said the strong participation in the Award this year across all the categories (local, Arab and international), highlights the clear success of the UAE Government in providing a global platform to showcase the best smart government services that are in line with future demand. Al Maktoum further said the Best Mobile Government Service award, now in its second year, underlines the commitment of the UAE to consolidate its leading international position in innovation and creativity, as well as in the adoption of best practices in providing outstanding government services, and improving the performance of future governments by leveraging modern technologies to increase the well-being and happiness of the people. The other winners in the tourism sector at the UAE level are Dubai Culture and Arts, and the "i-Tour Seoul" application from South Korea in the international level. The mobile application presented by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, won the UAE level award in Education sector while HKDSE won for its App at the international level. In the healthcare sector the local and international winners are: UAE Ministry of Health; and ‘My QuitBuddy' application of the National Health Commission in Australia. In the environment sector, DEWA`s smart phone app, ‘I Qatar e-Nature' from Qatar and ‘MyENV' from Singapore were the three winners. In the security and safety sector, the mobile application of Dubai Police, ‘Shield,' an app by Lebanese army, and ‘Safe Stepping Stone' won the honours in the three categories. In the social affairs sector, the winners in the three categories of local, regional and international, respectively are: General Women's Union in Abu Dhabi for its ‘Productive Families Shop' application; ‘Formal Donations' app from Oman and ‘Active Citizen' app from Russia. ‘Darb,' the smart phone application by Abu Dhabi Transport department received the local level award, while Bahrain smart government won at the Arab level for its ‘mTickets' app and Luxembourg won in the international category. In the economy and trade sector, the award went to Ministry of Justice at the local level, the General Authority for Consumer Protection in Oman at Arab level, and ‘Hong Kong Trade' application by the Trade & Business Development Council in Hong Kong at the international level. The winners of AED 1 million in the UAE university students category are: Al Jazeera University for its mobile application to distribute fortified food in the social affairs sector; Abu Dhabi University for its Al Najdah application in the safety and security sector; and Al Khwarizmi International School for its mobile application(La Tarasoul in the safety and security sector. Of the 150 international entries, 30% were from European Union countries, and 22 percent from the United States, while the rest were from South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Russia and other countries. The jury evaluated the entries on the basis of level of efficiency, effectiveness, lesser number of steps needed to avail of the service, lower cost and increase in percentage of customer satisfaction. The jury members chose mobile applications that reflect best practices in delivering smart, simple and comprehensive services. — SG
