On this occasion, HE Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, FAHR Director General underscored the significance of this achievement as a continuation of a series of accomplishments made by the United Arab Emirates at various levels and fields, particularly in global leadership, competitiveness, as well as government efficiency and innovation. “These achievements would not have been possible without the unwavering support and care provided by our wise leadership, led by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and his brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai”, he said.

HE added: “The fact that BAYANATI’ system has received the “Best Government Service” award at the 4th edition of the GCC eGovernment Conference and Exhibition is no surprise in view of the world-class human resource transactions and services carried out through the system, and the tremendous efforts made in preparing this critical government project. We would like to thank  HE Hussein bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education and Chairman of FAHR for his unlimited support for the Authority’s internal and external strategic projects and initiatives, which had the greatest contribution in enhancing its reputation at the Federal Government level, and improving the quality of services offered to customers and stakeholders.”

Dr. Al Awar stressed the importance of the Human Resource Management Information System "BAYANATI" as one of the most important strategic projects applied at the Federal Government level, regarding it as an umbrella for many of HR procedures and regulations, thus reflecting the vision of the UAE’s wise leadership with respect to innovation and global competitiveness of the Federal Government and UAE at large. BAYANATI system, he added, facilitates effective human resource management, provides general statistics and accurate information about human resources, according to global best practices, to enable the development of human resource departments in the ministries and federal entities, and helps employees to carry out their human transactions through simplified and streamlined administrative procedures and related financial operations.

Klaitham Al Shamsi, Director of HR Management Information System, who received the award on behalf of FAHR explained that selection of BAYANATI system as the Best Government Service at the level of GCC countries came after careful study of the proposal   submitted by FAHR about the system, including a set of criteria such as interoperability, project management, quality of service provided, future improvements, impact, customer support, and return on investment.

She said: BAYANATI system provides valuable services to about 90 thousand Federal Government employees, enabling them to easily get their salaries through a unified payroll system and offering a reliable statistical source for the Federal Government's workforce, and acts as reference for decision-makers in planning human resource procedures and employee engagement through self-service function allocated to each. Generally, the system emerges as major technological shift providing full automation of administrative procedures at the Federal Government level, to support UAE’s orientation towards smart government and speed up electronic approvals on some crucial human resources transactions.

“Self-service is considered a major feature of BAYANATI project, as it enables users to perform all human resource transactions electronically, thus contributing to facilitating and simplifying human resource services in the ministries and federal bodies and allowing the opportunity for HR department to focus on strategic programs and initiatives”.

Smart Apps through BAYANATI 

The most important services of BAYANATI system include those e-services provided by the smart application (FAHR). They allow the Federal Government employees to conduct their own transactions related to human resources and access all the information and data with greater ease and speed. Moreover, the app allows employees of ministries and federal bodies to apply for, cancel or track leaves; request permissions to leave the workplace; browse and update personal data; check on monthly salary details, produce salary and to Whom It May Concern certificates, in addition to the opportunity of reviewing centers assigned to provide medical insurance, and completing different phases of the Employee Performance Management System.

Other Outstanding Awards

At the same time, the United Arab Emirates reaped four other important awards, which highlight the technological advancement that the country is achieving in ICT generally and e-Government specifically.. “Dubai Commercial Services” provided by Dubai customs won the “Best Government service provided to Business Sector” award. The “Best Smart Application” award was granted to “Darb” application provided by the Department of Transport. UAE received two certificates in appreciation and acknowledgment of the MOI’s Community Sharing project and TRA’s Center of Digital Innovation (CoDI).

The Award in Brief

The GCC e-Government Award was founded in 2009 by a resolution of the GCC General Secretariat to create a culture of positive competition between the GCC Member States regarding  e-government projects, highlight successful experiences and exchange best practices in this area across the region.

The Award comprises 8 categories: Best e-Government Website, Best Government e-Service (G2C), Best Government-to- Government e-Service (G2G), Best Practice in Community e-Participation, Best Government Service for Business Sector, Best Applications for Smart Devices, Best e- Government Integrated Services – Individual / Business Sector, and Best Whole-of – Government National e-Project.