UAE is the first among Arab States with respect to ?eReadiness Maturity

Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, the Minister of Economy, has reiterated the UAE's firm resolve to join leading ranks of premier countries in respect of eReadiness Maturity.
"The UAE is the first among the Arab States with respect to "eReadiness Maturity", bearing in mind that the "Economist Intelligence Unit" of The Economist Group ranked the "eReadiness Maturity" of the UAE to be the 33rd internationally," added Sheikha Lubna.
"We aim to be among the first 10 countries worldwide with respect to "eReadiness Maturity", Sheikha Lubna said while she was presiding over a meeting with the appointed "Committee to Implement the Electronic Commerce and Transactions Law".

In this respect, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi stated: "In line with the UAE Government National Strategy Plan and the Federal Law No. 1 of 2006 on Electronic Commerce and Transactions, the Ministry of Economy has issued two Ministerial Decisions (114) & (406) of 2006, to establish a Committee to oversee the implementation of the Law and recommended to the Cabinet to appoint the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of the UAE (TRA) as the authority entrusted with overseeing certification services in the UAE pursuant to Article 20 of the Law", the Cabinet approved this recommendation pursuant to its decision no. 291/8 of 2006.
She pointed out that TRA is a specialized authority encompassing the technical expertise and human resources capable of handling such tasks and responsibilities, and that it already established the eCommerce Department. Yet, the Ministry of Economy will continue its supervisory role and continue to issue regulations pursuant to the provisions of the Law." In this respect, the TRA has concluded a benchmark study of various existing legal frameworks related to certification services and the administration of the digital commerce and electronic signatures in accordance with international best practices. The results of such were sent to the Committee headed by Sheikha Lubna, and received its approval to implement the specific regulatory framework. By the end of November 2007, the TRA will submit the final draft licensing framework of the electronic authentication services, including the standards and policies to license such entities to the Members of the Committee, which in turn would recommend to the Minister of Economy the adoption thereof as a regulation pursuant to Article 22 of the Law.
The TRA will also focus on organizing workshops and awareness campaigns aiming at encouraging the practice of eCommerce in the UAE.
Moreover, in accordance with the UAE pattern in providing long-term strategies, the TRA has established a long-term work plan to implement the eCommerce Law that includes three major phases that may be summarized as follows: I. Establishing the regulatory framework for eCommerce transactions to ensure transparency and consumer protection, II. Strengthening the public trust and credibility of eCommerce; and III. Contributing to the development of the digital economy of the UAE as envisaged by the government?s national strategy plan.