Speech

Dr. Hessa Al Jaber, ictQATAR Secretary General

The Government IT Forum
The Ritz Carlton Hotel
April 10, 2007

Good morning. Thank you for joining us for the first annual
IT Forum.

This has been an exciting month in Qatar. Citizens directly

elected representatives in municipal elections. Our
government approved the largest-ever national budget, with
most funding allocated to the important areas of education,
health, and infrastructure. Those of us working in
government at this historic time are fortunate. We are part
of reform and change that with every passing day brings new
equality, new opportunity, new dreams to our citizens. The
policies we make and implement can truly improve the lives
of people of all ages and all income levels.

The work you do – serving the people of Qatar, involving

them in the processes that affect their daily lives – is among
the most valuable in our country. So I appreciate your time
today. I promise we will use it well as we introduce you to
the i-Gov e-services program. i-Gov builds on the successes
of our current e-government program, the set of services that
has effectively introduced the public to the concept of online
government access.

With the cooperation of all of you, i-Gov will be a showcase

for successful collaboration between government entities.
Together, we will provide important information and
services to our residents faster and more efficiently than ever
before. Our effort to connect all government agencies to one
another and to the public, i-Gov will become a leader in the
region.

It is without doubt an ambitious program.

It must be, for Qatar’s national goals as outlined in our

National Vision 2025 are ambitious. ictQATAR, the
Supreme Council for Information and Communications
Technology, is the government agency that connects people
to the technologies that enrich their lives, drive economic
growth, and inspire confidence in the future. Our goal is to
help Qataris to benefit from ICT in infinite ways.

We are proud to plan and coordinate i-Gov. The program –

and the ICT that underpins it – will help make Qatar’s
National Vision possible.

Qatar’s National Vision consists of programs that will

advance the nation and underscore our status of a developed
country economically and socially. The Vision reflects
Qatar’s commitment to building a strong, flexible economy
and a cohesive society driven by the rule of law. The Vision
guarantees all citizens civil and political rights.

i-Gov will play a critical role in ensuring that people of all

ages know what those rights are. i-Gov will help those who
live and work here to take part in the government processes
that affect their lives every day.

Key pillars support Qatar’s National Vision. The first pillar is

human development, encompassing education, health, and
social services. I don’t need to tell anybody in this room that
our education reform in both K-12 and higher education has
made our system a model in the region – perhaps the world.
Nobody else has had the foresight and boldness to build an
Education City.

But most of all, we are proud of the critical thinking,

creativity, and freedom of thought that lives every day in our
classrooms. In cooperation with the Supreme Education
Council, ictQATAR’s e-education programs will continually
deepen and broaden this new way of learning in Qatar. And
importantly, e-education programs will help adults seeking
to change or start new careers gain professional and
technical skills through online learning. One of the miracles
of ICT is that it allows lifelong learning and development.

Another element of this first pillar of human development is

health. All of us seek the best possible physical and mental
health and longevity for our citizens. ictQATAR’s e-health
program – in cooperation with the National Health
Authority and the Hamad Medical Corporation – will
interconnect every hospital’s health records. That means
health care providers will have up-to-date information about
every patient at the moment it is needed. And that is just the
beginning of where online health programs will take us.

The first pillar also calls for a productive and highly

motivated workforce. We seek to increase and diversify our
labor market beyond the oil and gas industries. Through
online processes, e-Business programs will increase
competitive opportunities for small and medium-sized
businesses as they access the same information as large
businesses. And job creation will escalate in both the private
and public sectors as the ICT sector develops.

Governance is the second pillar of the National Vision. We

are committed to democracy and good governance based on
the experiences of progressive governments throughout the
world. Freedom of thought and expression is assured. To
this end, we will look to the best models around the world to
guide our i-Gov efforts.

One might wonder how government services and

information relates to democracy. Yes, people can register to
vote online, but it’s much more than that. Participation in
democracy is predicated on a free and open flow of
information. Ordinary people will get involved in critical
issues when they understand the stakes and can make
informed decisions. Moreover, information is the safeguard
of democracy. A high level of public awareness is the enemy
of anybody who would seek to manipulate, frighten or
intimidate the people.

Our job is to provide important information to everybody at

the same time, supporting and securing our democratic
process.

The third pillar of our National Vision is the national

economy. I just talked about how ICT development will help
diversify our work force and foster a strong, knowledge-
based economy. Our job as government officials is to
safeguard an economic environment that is free, open,
modern, and flexible.

As you know, ictQATAR is overseeing the liberalization of

our telecommunications market. As regulator, we are
ensuring that every step of the process is transparent and
fair. We are excited about the benefits competition will bring
to those who live and work here. And since we know
multinationals across sectors are hungry for affordable, ultra
high-speed broadband, we believe one of those benefits will
be increased investment in our economy.
Qatar’s national economy serves as the cornerstone for our
continued strength and prosperity. Government institutions
must be progressive and capable of guiding it through the
best and worst of times.

I don’t need to tell the people in this room that high quality
physical and information infrastructure is critical for
sustaining economic development. At ictQATAR, we intend
to make sure all residents have fair access to this
infrastructure. iPark is an example of the kind of programs
and projects we will launch to help achieve this goal.

Allow me to speak briefly about the objectives of this IT

Forum and those to follow:

A sense of unity and cohesion is important to every

professional. In order to make i-Gov a success – to improve
quality and efficiency of services, to offer more choices and
channels for service delivery, to involve our citizens in the
processes of democracy – we will promote the development
of a professional IT community. We want your role in i-Gov
to be rewarding, creative and interesting.

Now that i-Gov is launched, we are all one team. ictQATAR

will help make sure team members talk to one another. We
will provide an umbrella for awareness building and
communication activities. Our goal is to increase efficiency
across government. But clear communication across
government has to happen first.

Look around you and you will see that team members are IT
Managers. As we forge ahead, we will often be joined by
professionals from industry. We will always seek private
sector partnership and cooperation.
I am delighted to say that last week, His Highness, the Heir
Apparent issued a decree establishing the i-Gov Sponsor
Group. From the highest levels of government, this Group
will steer i-Gov’s initiatives and help raise awareness of the
good work we will do. I’m very proud that joining the Heir
Apparent in the Sponsor Group will be the Ministers of
Economy and Commerce, Finance, Civil Service and Housing
Affairs, Interior Affairs, and the Minister of Municipality
Affairs and Agriculture.

The input of the Sponsor Group members will be so valuable.

Their ideas and energy will make the i-Gov program broader
and deeper. We at ictQATAR are grateful for their
contribution to our work on behalf of Qatar’s citizens.

Some of you know Chan Khoong from IDA in Singapore. I

am pleased to say Chan has been named Chief Information
Officer at ictQATAR. Chan brings to us a wealth of
experience and knowledge since IDA is certainly one of the
world’s leading government bodies for information and
communications technology bodies. Singapore’s residents
benefit in many ways from IDA’s programs and projects –
one is the availability of an array of quality government
services.

In the hours ahead, my colleagues will detail the groups of

initiatives that we call charters. Some of these will belong to
ictQATAR; others will belong to your agencies and councils.
In those cases, ictQATAR will support the effort in every
possible way we can.

Today we expect a wide-ranging and comprehensive

discussion. It will be the first of many, many more as we all
seek to become even more effective, professional
organizations, capable of responding to citizens’ needs and
helping to fulfill their aspirations. I know every one of us is
committed to accountability to the people we serve.

As you shall see today, i-Gov’s roadmap is to drive the

efficient, transparent delivery of information and services to
the people of Qatar. Our guide will be creativity and
innovation.

Thank you again for joining us to learn about the i-Gov

program. I believe the possibilities for innovation and
extraordinary thinking are enormous. I know all of you will
have new, fresh ideas for how together we can better serve
the public. I look forward to hearing those ideas, both today
and in the future.

I wish you an informative and productive day.