Day: May 8, 2021

DUBAI, The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts has acquired the qualified electronic seal solution Ethaq, a paperless initiative that enables digital authenticity of documents with the support of UAE PASS, the secure national digital identity platform for the UAE.

Ethaq is powered by Dubai Electronic Security Centre (DESC) and its Root Certificate Authority. It recognises the DIFC Courts as the first Dubai entity to acquire the entirely paperless certificate that enables court documents to be electronically signed, issued, and authenticated. Ethaq also integrates UAE PASS, the secure national digital identity platform of the UAE, in collaboration with Smart Dubai, to provide an end-to-end signing solution that combines both an electronic seal and an electronic signature solution based on digitally verifiable identities.

The electronic seal Ethaq will also reinforce the security and integrity of the documentation and eradicates tampering of official documents, enabling users to digitally verify the authenticity of any legal documents through the DIFC Courts website.

Omar Juma Al Mheiri, Deputy Chief Justice, DIFC Courts, said, “This new innovative eService will ensure that the DIFC Courts continues to fulfil the requirements under the Dubai Paperless Strategy 2021 and create legal security and certainty for businesses in an era of technological disruption.”

Yousef Al Shaibani, Director-General, at the DESC, said, “Ethaq is one of DESC’s continuous efforts in adopting forefront technologies to protect Dubai digitally. This initiative reinforces the efficiency of digital services to support the city’s smart transformation and achieves the visionary goals set by the Dubai Cyber Security Strategy.”

Wesam Lootah, CEO of the Smart Dubai Government Establishment, said, “Smart Dubai is leading the charge for the emirate to become the world’s smartest and happiest city, with the drive towards becoming paperless being a primary pillar of this aim. By going paperless across every sector through the use of the latest technology, Dubai is taking centre stage for the conservation of resources, safeguarding of the environment, and the creation of digitally secure transactions.”

As part of a phased approach, the Ethaq capability will initially be secured for all court user service documents, such as DIFC Courts Judgments and Orders, with a secondary implementation wave for all DIFC Courts internal and operational documentation.

In 2018, launched as an initiative under the Courts of the Future, the DIFC Courts partnered with Smart Dubai to create the world’s first court with blockchain. Building on existing dispute resolution services, the alliance is exploring how to aid verification of court judgments for cross-border enforcement.

The partnership will be creating a blockchain-powered future for the judiciary which will have far-reaching benefits, including streamlining the judicial process, removing document duplications, and driving greater efficiencies across the entire legal ecosystem. The new electronic seal initiative will complement and further reinforce the development of this parallel project relating to blockchain enforcement.

Technology has been central to the DIFC Courts’ operating model since starting operations in 2006. Among the many technologies pioneered to increase access to justice is the region’s first digitally integrated courtroom and re-engineered state-of-the-art e-Court Management System (CMS) in 2016.

In 2018, as part of its digital strategy, the DIFC Courts was also the first court service in the region to launch the most globally advanced “paperless” e-Bundling service, pioneering new online dispute resolution services.

Over the past 12 months, the DIFC Courts has introduced several initiatives aimed at alleviating costs for court users, including the suspension of all fees related to the digital e-Bundling service, with over 100,000 case pages uploaded to this system in the first eight months of 2020, ensuring paper reduction of over 600,000 pages.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, To ensure swift and efficient food parcels distribution to beneficiaries in 30 countries, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) has partnered with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment (MBRCH), the Food Banking Regional Network (FBRN), and local charitable organisations in targeted countries.

Distribution of food parcels carrying basic and essential food items has already began in several countries, and will continue until all donated meals reach the target groups in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America over the next three months.

Donations from 385,000 individuals, private and public companies and businessmen across 51 countries helped secure food parcels equivalent to 216 million meals, more than the double of the campaign’s initial target, to be distributed to vulnerable groups in 30 countries.

Dr. Moez El Shohdi, Founder and CEO of the FBRN, said, “We extend our sincere appreciation to MBRGI for efforts behind the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign, which will undoubtedly be a reference for similar future initiatives centered at the ultimate humanitarian goal of eliminating world hunger.”

He stressed that the campaign complements the objectives of the FBRN to tackle world hunger and malnutrition since its inception in Dubai in 2013. As an umbrella for food banks around the region, the network is an active partner in distributing food parcels to beneficiaries in 13 out of the 30 targeted countries.

El Shohdi noted, “it comes as no surprise for the UAE to be the frontrunner in implementing such humanitarian initiatives and supporting them for a joint Arab-Middle Eastern-African charity work.”

Mageed Yahia, WFP Director in the UAE and Representative to the GCC, said, “the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign came at a critical time when hunger is rapidly soaring around the world as a result of conflict, climate shocks and the impact of COVID-19. Today, more than 270 million people face life-threatening levels of hunger. We are watching a catastrophe unfold before our eyes and we must all step up to fight back. This campaign sets a powerful example to the world of how a community can come together in the face of hunger.”

As part of its role, the WFP is distributing food vouchers, with values donated through the campaign, to vulnerable groups in Palestine and in refugee camps in Jordan and Bangladesh to empower people in need to buy their own food.

He added, “MBRGI’s contribution through the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign provides critical support to the operations of the UN World Food Programme in Bangladesh, Jordan and Palestine, where ration cuts were looming as a result of funding shortfalls. With this support, we are able to continue providing an essential lifeline of food assistance to vulnerable populations with no other means of meeting their basic food and nutrition needs during the Holy Month of Ramadan.”

He concluded, “Thanks to the extraordinary leadership and generosity of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, this inspiring campaign has brought together the entire UAE community to stand in solidarity with the less fortunate this Ramadan. I congratulate MBRGI for the incredible success of the campaign, in which the UN World Food Programme is honoured to be a partner.”

Ibrahim Mohammed Bu Melha, Advisor of the Ruler of Dubai for Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of MBRCH, said “the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign is neither the first nor the last of the humanitarian initiatives, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to which we have grown accustomed to seeing and supporting. The UAE’s humanitarian projects portray the meanings of benevolence and compassion on which the UAE was founded and establish solidarity with those in need around the world, regardless of gender, religion or race.”

He stressed that “organising charity campaigns is key, not just for helping the afflicted, but also in promoting the culture of volunteering and donating to aid those in need, which is one of the criteria for the advancement of societies.”

As a strategic partner, the MBRCH plays an active role in food distribution operations. Deploying all possible capabilities, personnel, and volunteers as well as the wider network of partners abroad has enabled the organization to expand the campaign’s scope to 10 additional countries to reach as many beneficiaries as possible.

Source: Emirates News Agency