Smart Dubai revealed the progress of 41 government entities who implemented the Dubai Paperless Strategy, where they sought to reduce their paper consumption by half within the first six months of joining the effort, and continue moving forward towards 100 per cent digitisation by the end of 2021.

The figures were announced during a virtual session Smart Dubai organised with Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai; Younus Al Nasser, Assistant Director General of Smart Dubai, CEO of the Dubai Data Establishment, and Wesam Lootah, CEO of the Smart Dubai Government Establishment, in attendance, along with Director Generals and officials from government entities that are taking part in implementing the Dubai Paperless Strategy.

According to Lootah, “The total decrease in paper consumption for all entities implementing the Dubai Paperless Strategy was 82.82 per cent, saving 269.8 million sheets of paper.

“Overall, the Strategy helped save Dhs1.13 billion, over 12.1 million hours of labour, and 32,388 trees that would have been cut down to produce paper. Lootah said, “We appreciate the efforts made by all participating entities to advance Dubai’s digital transformation and offer government services via 100 per cent digital channels, which, in turn, helps save significant amounts of paper as well as hours of labour, cutting costs for the Dubai Government and promoting happiness among the people.”Collectively, Large Entities successfully cut their paper consumption by 83.86 per cent by December 2020, which is equivalent to 232.07 million sheets of paper. Meanwhile, Medium Entities reduced their consumption by 76.23 per cent or 10.64 million sheets, whereas Small Entities achieved a 77.3 per cent reduction in consumption, equivalent to more than 27.17 million sheets of paper.

Smart Dubai awarded the 100 per cent Digital Stamp to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), Dubai Municipality, Dubai Sports Council, and the Dubai Statistics Centre. The Stamp recognises the government entities that have fully implemented the Dubai Paperless Strategy, marking their transition to 100 per cent paperless entities when executing internal transactions or when delivering customer services. Dewa saved 22.63 million sheets of paper it normally uses every year, while Dubai Municipality saved 20.9 million sheets, the Dubai Sports Council 408,623, and the Dubai Statistics Center eliminated the use of 172,129 sheets of paper used annually, edging closer to the goal of 100 per cent digital transformation of the city.

In addition to the results, Smart Dubai announced the beginning of the countdown to establish the Dubai Government as the world’s first paperless government by fully implementing the Dubai Paperless Strategy across all government entities in the emirate. No Dubai Government entity will issue any internal or external paper documents after 12/12/2021, running completely paperless transactions.

“The Dubai Paperless Strategy has come a long way and is advancing rapidly towards its primary goal of digitising all internal government operations and services offered to the public,” asserted Younus Al Nasser. “This makes it possible for the Dubai Government to completely forego paper transactions. We congratulate the four entities that earned the 100 per cent Digital Stamp for winning this race against time. We applaud all entities taking part in this Strategy for the tremendous progress they are making towards achieving this goal, and for exceeding expectations every step of the way.”

“With clear directives and a constant overview by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, the Dubai Paperless Strategy is an important milestone in the Dubai Government’s digital transformation, and a key factor in the effort to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city on Earth,” Al Nasser added. “And now, the countdown has started as the Dubai Government prepares to completely do away with paper across all government entities by December 12, 2021. The close collaboration among government entities and the tremendous efforts they have put in played an immense role in achieving this objective. We are confident that the strong partnership between Smart Dubai and various government entities will expedite the city’s comprehensive digital transformation.”

For his part, Wesam Lootah applauded the participating government entities for their efforts and dedication to accelerating Dubai’s widespread digital transformation, and for effectively playing their part in achieving the objectives of the Dubai Paperless Strategy. “The entities that have earned the 100 per cent Digital Stamp have made a praiseworthy achievement in record time, completely eliminating the use of paper,” he explained, noting that the other entities are fast approaching similar results.

“The total decrease in paper consumption for all entities implementing the Dubai Paperless Strategy was 82.82 per cent, saving 269.8 million sheets of paper.