20 September 2016, New York; At a side held event held on the margins of the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Mohamed Asim shared Maldives experiences on the use of information technology in the delivery of public services. He also explored various approaches to improve and advance public service delivery in the developing counries.
Minister Asim outlined the unique potential offered to facilitate the rapid adoption and dissemination of cutting-edge technology in IT-related fields, that was offered to the Maldives as a small island country. In this regard, he highlighted the specific examples of Government e-Letter Management System (GEMS) targeted to improve efficiency in inter-Ministry correspondence, as well as the E-government services such as Expatriate Online Services, Work-Permit related transactions, and driving exams.
While highlighting the various opportunities for digitization offered in the Maldives, especially towards the realisation of the 2030 Agenda, Minister Asim also highlighted the challenges. He spoke specifically of the need for international cooperation, knowledge sharing and technology transfer, in addition to building local capacities. In this regard, he noted the niche for South-South cooperation.
The event was organized by Prime Minister of Bangladesh Honourable Sheikh Hasina. Several high level representatives were in attendance including the Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Administrator of UNDP and Secretary General of ITU. Maldives and Bhutan were invited as partner countries to A2I initiative (access to information). who attended the event also highlighted the potential of South-South cooperation offered in the field of public service delivery, with specific focus on realisation of the 2030 Agenda.
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