The Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA), have signed a memorandum of cooperation which will allow the Ministry to benefit from the EIDA ID card technology currently used by citizens and residents.

The memorandum was signed at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi by HE Younis Haji Al Khouri, Undersecretary of MoF, and HE Dr. Engineer Ali Mohammed Al-Khouri, Director General of EIDA. Also in attendance were HE Musabah Al Suwaidi, Assistant Undersecretary of Support Services Sector at MoF, HE Mariam Mohammad Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Management of Financial Resources at MoF, in addition to a number of senior officials at MoF and Amer Al Mahri, Director of the Government and Community Communication Department at EIDA.

The memorandum states that MoF will start using the ID card as the basic identification document for identifying and verifying employees of the federal government and those of independent entities in the UAE. Additionally, the ID card numbers will be linked to the salaries of those employees as well as to the external services provided by MoF, such as issuing Tax Domicile Certificates.

Moreover, the memorandum includes a clause which will allow the Ministry to take advantage of ‘encryption capabilities’ for each specific ID card, in order to verify its electronic authenticity, validity, data integrity and the identity of its holder. These capabilities also include the potential to store data and information on the chip of the ID card on each person dealing with MoF from federal government and independent entities in the UAE.

HE Younis Haji Al Khouri believes the move is testament to MoF’s determination to continue promoting its e-services, both in specialised financial transactions that serve the federal government and independent entities, or those that benefit members of the local community, including employees of the federal government and private sector institutions.

HE said: "The signing of the memorandum of cooperation with the Emirates Identity Authority reflects the Ministry’s commitment to develop efficient, positive partnerships with various institutions of the public and private sectors in the UAE. The Ministry will continue to strive for the establishment of new partnerships that support our services and reaffirm our commitment to the adoption and application of the very best practices in the management of government resources.”

Furthermore, HE Ali Mohamed Al-Khouri, shed light on the Authority’s efforts to contribute to continued economic and social development in the UAE, by harnessing its achievements to serve all ministries, government departments and entities. EIDA’s efforts aim to support strategic decision-making and to contribute to delivering “smart government” services in various fields.

HE highlighted that with its special highly-developed security specifications, the “smart” ID card will deliver significant benefits to the MoF. The chip contains biometric data of each ID card holder, allowing each person to be identified electronically. Simple and reliable, electronic identification of personnel from all government and private agencies will simplify procedures, saving time, money and resources for both the service provider and its customers. HE also stressed that the Authority is hoping to develop the services offered by government bodies and institutions in the UAE with an integrated e-system to manage personal identity. This will support the UAE’s drive to build a competitive economy by harnessing advanced technology to serve citizens and residents and improve their quality of life.

The memorandum also states that the relationship between the concerned departments should comply with the standards of excellence required by the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Programme, showcasing best practices and enhancing the continuous learning process. As such, trainees can be nominated from each party to attend courses organised by the other party for its employees, maximising its advantages and allowing for the exchange of knowledge and expertise.

It also stipulated that the parties will exchange documents, studies and reports issued by each of them (or any other issued documents) related to its activity such as: decisions, books, periodicals, procedural manuals and guidelines, as well as statistical and media releases.

A joint committee will emerge from the memorandum of cooperation to monitor the implementation of its provisions and its resulting agreements or joint protocols, in addition to dealing with any difficulties that may arise during their implementation or the application of any subsequent relevant agreements. The committee will also follow up on the adoption of recommendations to strengthen and develop the cooperation between the two parties, hold regular meetings in order to follow up with the programme’s implementation and agreed activities, and evaluate the cooperation process and prepare reports that will be exchanged between both parties. The committee will aim to facilitate cooperation, provide the necessary data requested by each party which will play an important role in the implementation of the new partnership.
 

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