DUBAI: His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, handed the “Hamdan Flag” award for best government initiative to Dubai Municipality for its “Montaji” initiative. The winning initiative was chosen from among eight finalists by an online popular vote.
Montaji is a consumer product registration initiative by Dubai Municipality, allowing consumers to confirm the information and safety of all consumer products (Cosmetics, Perfumes, Supplements, Detergents and Biocides) available in Dubai markets. Consumers can instantly confirm if the product is registered and compliant with Dubai Municipality regulations, just by scanning the bar-code of the product.
Dubai Municipality will keep the “Hamdan Flag” for an entire year as a testament to its excellence and dedication to the happiness of the people of Dubai. The Flag will then be passed to the winner of next year’s edition of the contest.
Eman Al Suwaidi, Director of Dubai The Model Centre (DTMC), said: “We were delighted at the advanced level of all finalist government initiatives competing in the final round, where Montaji was crowned winner following a rigorous evaluation process that took into consideration several globally-significant criteria in terms of performance, competitiveness, customer satisfaction, and implementation of the latest technologies. We have also found a strong desire among the public to vote for more than one initiative. This was evident through the high number of votes, which reached 315 thousand.”
Meanwhile, Saeed Al Mulla, Head of Service Engineering at DTMC said: “Our leadership always strives to reach out to the young generation, whom are the future, and we it is our duty to provide cutting-edge services to match their ambitions.”
“The development of government and administrative work requires us to provide innovative approaches to improve our services. This is what we aim for through building the capabilities of our youth in the areas of creative design of government services, in a way that enables them to be active in the community in various fields and activities.”
All eight finalist initiatives were showcased at the Hamdan Hub which include DEWA’s One Step Initiative; Robotic Process Automation – Smart Refund by Dubai Customs; Montaji by Dubai Municipality; Dubai Health Authority’s Dammi Application; RTA’s Smart Transportation Initiative; Female Responder by Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services; Community Airport Application from Dubai Airports; and Dubai Expert by Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism).
The finalists went through a series of evaluations – including one-on-one interviews – before being shortlisted for the public’s vote. The initiatives were assessed based on a set of standards covering effectiveness and efficiency, sustainability, and the degree to which they adhere to smart city plans. A jury of 28 expert judges from 12 countries around the world and specialising in different sectors evaluated submissions against international standards, developing comprehensive perceptions of the impact of these services in the short and long terms, and measuring the performance indicators of each initiative, in accordance with the methodology of the Dubai model to improve government services
Moreover, the finalists were evaluated during the Hamdan Hub by a judging panel that included a number of representatives from federal and local government departments, as well as private companies. Most notable among the judges were: H.E. Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development; Ahmed Al Hammadi, CEO of the Publishing Sector at Dubai Media Incorporated; and Ronaldo Mashhour, CEO and Co-Founder of Souq.com; along with a number of members representing the youth segment. News Desk
