Dubai, 6^th February, 2019 – His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, initiated the 3-year countdown for implementing the Dubai Paperless Strategy, announcing the launch of the  first two fully digital and paperless journeys on DubaiNow application, during a visit to the Smart Dubai headquarters on 6th, February, 2019.

The Strategy seeks to transform Dubai Government into a fully digital government in line with the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai. The two journeys were launched via Smart Dubai’s “DubaiNow” platform – the city’s one-stop shop for smart services – the first of which revolves around driving a vehicle in Dubai, while the second focuses on relocating to a new house in the emirate.

“In February of last year, we officially launched the Dubai Paperless Strategy right here at the Smart Dubai Office headquarters,” said H.H. Sheikh Hamdan. “And today, at the same place, we look to the tremendous progress Smart Dubai has made, in collaboration with other government entities, which has materialised in the launch of the first 2 integrated experiences that usher in a new era of digital government services and propel Dubai to the fore in the field of smart city experiments. We additionally launched the second phase of the Dubai Paperless Strategy, which includes 4 new customer journeys; we have also directed 8 Government entities to begin implementing the Dubai Paperless Strategy, namely, Dubai Courts, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Public Prosecution, Knowledge and Human Resources Authority, Dubai Health Authority, Community Development Authority, Dubai Airports, and Dubai Customs.”

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan went on to assert: “We have directed all government entities to use the standardised, aggregated government systems such as the Dubai Now platform and the National Digital Identity (UAE PASS), as well as to gradually transform service centres into community centres to take better advantage of these spaces, ensuring delivery of all services through digital platforms. These directives will, in turn, boost government efficiency and allow for the optimal use of government resources.”

“Our success allows us to take this experiment from Dubai to the world, providing a unique living experience that makes the emirate a world-leading smart city, whose residents and visitors will be the happiest in the world,” H.E. concluded.

Her Excellency Dr. Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, Director General of Smart Dubai, lauded the wise leadership for its continuous presence on the ground as Dubai builds its future, closely witnessing the emirate’s ascension into the world’s smartest and happiest city.

“Today, we set a new milestone on our journey to establish Dubai as one of the smartest cities in the world, in line with the directives of our wise leadership,” H.E. Dr Aisha added. “We are on the cusp of a new era, where we prepare to move beyond traditional services, and embrace innovation and creativity to transform 1,600 smart services into 32 end-to-end individual and business journeys that adhere to the latest international standards and solutions in customer service.”

“Our journey is relentless, now that we have wrapped up phase one of the Dubai Paperless Strategy, we embark on the second phase, where we have already launched 2 integrated experiences and will be moving forward with 4 additional ones,” Dr Aisha added. “The action plan will be implemented according to a meticulous timeline, with the final objective being to eliminate paper transactions, reduce customers’ visits to service centres by transferring all applicable government services to smart platforms. We have achieved remarkable results, reducing paper consumption by 57% in the six entities participating in phase one of the Dubai Paperless Strategy. We have selected the 8 Government entities to take part in phase 2, namely, Dubai Courts, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Public Prosecution, Knowledge and Human Resources Authority, Dubai Health Authority, Community Development Authority, Dubai Airports, and Dubai Customs.”

“We look forward to achieving full digitalisation by the end of 2021, saving hundreds of hours for residents, visitors, and the government, as well as saving over 130,000 trees per year. This, in turn, boosts the emirate’s competitiveness, and stimulates economic growth,” H.E. concluded, underlining the importance of close cooperation with various government entities to address challenges and approach them from the customers’ point of view, which helps ensure smooth and convenient paperless procedures. This trend must be coupled with plans to review and develop laws and legislations that facilitate the implementation of the Dubai Paperless Strategy and develop an integrated digital work environment.

The two newly launched and completely integrated customer journeys are available through the comprehensive Dubai Now application in which integrations has been initiated with government and private sector partners.

The first case, driving a vehicle in Dubai, covers all stages required to drive a vehicle in the emirate, from obtaining a driver’s license with Emirates Driving Institute, to finding a vehicle in collaboration with Car Suites, contacting the buyer and obtaining the vehicle documents and make an offer digitally, buying insurance through YallaCompare, registering the vehicle in Road and Transport Authority licensing systems, and view financing options as well.

Meanwhile, the second case, relocating to a new home in Dubai, is also an example of service integration provided by several parties as a pilot, it covers searching for a new house in collaboration with Dubai Assets Management, completing all transactions related to rent and contracting integrating with Dubai Land Department, and registering for Dubai Electricity and Water Authority services, as well as internet and telephone services with DU. Additionally, residents will also be able to execute move-in services such as cleaning, painting, etc., in collaboration with the Mr Usta mobile application.

Implementing the Dubai Paperless Strategy will drastically transform people’s lives and improve the performance of the Government sector. This, in turn, saves employees hundreds of hours spent processing paperwork, all the while providing time for customers to spend with their loved ones.