Jordan, UAE working closely to improve public administration — Razzaz

AMMAN — Jordan is keen on enhancing cooperation with the UAE, particularly on institutional performance, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said on Tuesday, commending the level of services offered by the UAE’s government.

The prime minister’s comments came during discussions at the Prime Ministry with the Emirati Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future Mohammed Gergawi and Emirati Minister of State for Happiness and Well-Being Ohood Bint Khalifa Roumi. Razzaz said that cooperation between Jordan and the UAE was constantly improving to advance the state of government performance, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The government is keen on enabling citizens to evaluate its performance based on clear indicators to enhance transparency and accountability, the premier added.

He said that Jordan was interested in partnering with the UAE to establish daycares at workplaces in various governorates to help with development efforts and create jobs for youth.

During the meeting, Gergawi said there was potential for cooperation between the two countries to jointly establish an economic-technological sector.

The Emirati minister also stressed that progress in implementing initiatives and projects under an agreement signed between the Kingdom and the UAE last year to improve the government’s performance and enhance services was “going very well, in fact, better than was planned”.

In June of 2018, Jordan and the UAE signed a memorandum of understanding to help the Kingdom improve performance and services.

Among the planned initiatives is the Crown Prince Award for Best Government Service Application, which was launched on Tuesday (see story on page 1).

Other initiatives include the establishment of a service centre in the Kingdom with UAE funding, which would constitute a qualitative leap in the provision of governmental services and offer a bundle of various services in one location, according to Petra.

Two more centres are planned for the northern and southern parts of the Kingdom, as well as a government evaluation system, a UAE-supplied electronic system to improve information access for decision makers and a “1 million Jordanian programmer” initiative.