The UAE's 39 delegates to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum occurring from May 2 to 6, 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland. WSIS Forum 2016 is the current edition of the leading global forum for ICT-driven advancement. It is co-organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in collaboration with various WSIS Action Line Facilitators and Co-Facilitators.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority )TRA( has been a strategic partner of the WSIS Forums because 2010, and is the event's Platinum Partner for this year. The TRA follows up the application of the WSIS Action Lines-- concrete Plans of Action to achieve internationally-agreed upon Sustainable Development Goals through Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-- in the UAE.

H.E. Hamad Obaid al Mansoori Director General, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, said: "The yearly WSIS Forum is a vital platform for the UAE to reveal its uniformity with global efforts to harness the power of ICT to accelerate social and financial advancement. For this coming edition, we will share a few of the UAE's major accomplishments in implementing the WSIS Action Lines under the assistance of the TRA and how these align with across the country efforts to develop a knowledge-based economy. We likewise anticipate gaining important insights from different global entities who are making significant development in setting up info societies.".

Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Assistant Director General for Government Services and Leadership in the Prime Minister's Office, stated that WISIS 2016 is an essential platform to help display the Smart Government experience in the UAE and highlight it at a worldwide level and display it throughout the summit's participants, which includes agents from 140 governments, entrepreneurs and the private sector.

Buhumaid stressed that the Smart Government effort, which was introduced by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, marks a turning point in government work and represents a quantum leap in smart services.

She included: "In WSIS 2016, we will display the most important phases of the shift to a smart government and its relation to the UAE Vision 2021, which is targeted at making the UAE among the leading nations in various fields, in addition to the crucial function played by the World Governments Summit to give us an outlook of the future.

'Best federal government services to clients by means of smart phones,' will be among the subjects that will be talked about at the summit. This will include crucial topics like the major government efforts developed to provide excellent services such as the Star World System for Classification of Customer Happiness Centers, awards targeted at employing contemporary technology for good, such as Drones for Good Award, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Award for Good and the Museum of the future, all the way to the UAE's efforts to launch a Mars Probe.

For his part, H.E. Wesam Al Abbas Lootah, CEO of Dubai Smart Government, admired the TRA's involvement as platinum sponsor and its constant efforts, mentioning the significance of the discussions that have been dealt with throughout the coordination meeting of all members of the UAE delegation to learn about the general features of the federal government participation and to guarantee full coordination between the members in order to reflect the excellent picture of the UAE, in preparation for its participation in the WSIS 2016.

Lootah stated: "The UAE has developed an global standard in the field of smart transformation and the move to stay up to date with the very best global practices, particularly in the efforts to make sure managing all facilities and services by means of electronic and smart interconnected systems, all the way towards making Dubai the smartest worldwide. As the technical arm of Dubai Smart City Office, we will exist our distinct experiences, that includes our strategies, initiatives and requirements that support the smart transformation of Dubai in particular and the UAE in general, all the way to the greatest leadership positions and global competitiveness signs, in order to achieve the general sustainable development of the UAE in accordance with the best global requirements".

He added: "We are proud of our involvement in WSIS 2016, which will give us a chance to display the design of Dubai, which has ended up being a second to none international experience due to the volume of quality achievements that it has attained across various developmental paths. Dubai has actually become a role model for economies that have world-class infrastructure through the extensive usage of the most recent smart ICT, to make sure the sustainability of the infrastructure and the advanced service systems in Dubai Smart City, all the way towards the leading position by applying of the visions and plans of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as a continuation of the move towards innovation and the march to quality.".

Colonel Expert, Dr. Ibrahim Al Dabal, General Coordinator of the Khalifa Student Empowerment Program, has praised the efforts of TRA for holding the coordination meeting to talk about the parts that have actually been nominated at WISIS 2016 and which will be stated throughout an event that will be held at the ITU head office in Geneva, Switzerland. He admired the efforts of the participating schools and the organizers of this occasion, expressing his goals that these events might include all members of society throughout the UAE, in order to make the digital shift and to offer the required tools needed in handling the difficulties of cyberspace.

The initiative intends to enhance awareness of students through numerous channels of communication in order to construct an ethical system and a value that is based on program itself, while also promoting the improvement of individual abilities, nationwide awareness, health and safety and the prevention of criminal offense. Given that the start of the school year, the 'Aqdar' program has implemented more than 700 lectures and awareness workshops for more than 55.000 students and 15.000 instructors and moms and dads in public and private schools, universities and colleges across the UAE.

Colonel Al Dabal stressed that a win from any of the chosen projects at WSIS 2016 is a win for all and an action to accomplish the UAE vision to be a leader in various domestic and international sectors.

The UAE delegates to WSIS Forum 2016 consist of high-ranking agents from the UAE Prime Minister's Office, Smart Dubai Government, Dubai Smart City Office, the Ministry of Interior, Emirates ID Authority, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Dubai Water & Electricity Authority, Khalifa Student Empowerment Program ('Aqdar'), the Dubai Land Department and the TRA with the special participation of Smart Navigation Systems. They will participate in the Forum's various workshops and high-level dialogues.

The TRA has prepared two special workshops for the Forum: a Country Workshop on 'Government of Future-- Building the Best Smart Governments and Cities worldwide-- Extraordinary Transformation that Touches Everyone's Life,' and a Thematic Workshop on 'Student Self-immune Awareness Program & Addressing the Rising Trend of CYBER BLACKMAIL.' It will likewise provide the UAE's 36 official entries to the 2016 WSIS Project Prize, supervise an exhibition of the UAE's ICT achievements and efforts, and provide the country's WSIS Report.