Dubai Courts honours 42 winners in ‘Smart Court' campaign

Winners are announced in conjunction with UAE's 42nd National Day celebrations

Dubai – 12 December 2013: The Dubai Courts has recently held a ceremony to honour winners of the best suggestions in its ‘Smart Court' campaign. The campaign was recently launched under the slogan ‘Your Suggestions Make the Future', with aim of providing the best possible ideas to develop and improve services and procedures for smartphone applications. The campaign also intends to contribute to Dubai Courts' aim of supporting the nomination of Dubai to host the Expo 2020 by assisting in the readiness process of the emirate.

The ‘Smart Court' campaign is designed to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, with regard to the launch of the ‘Smart Government' programme. The programme is being implemented in accordance with the vision of Sheikh Mohammed, epitomised by the following statement: “We want our citizens to engage in the everyday business of government, and access government services, via their mobile phones. The joy of existence is to do something one has not done before, or did not expect to do at all. Therefore, we are eagerly anticipating your creativity.”

With this campaign, the Dubai Courts is aiming to strengthen co-operation with its strategic partners by engaging them in the suggestion of creative ideas. In addition, it is also intended that an action plan will be developed which will enhance the effectiveness of the implementation of the team's work and procedures. The Courts also intends to design and lead a campaign to invite all workers in the judicial sector in Dubai to generate as many creative ideas as possible. It is hoped that this will contribute to the upgrading of work and performance in Dubai Courts.

H.E. Dr. Ahmed Saeed Bin Hazeem, Managing Director of Dubai Courts, honoured strategic partners who supported the campaign, as well as 42 winning suggestions made since the launch of the campaign at the end of June 2013. The campaign has witnessed a large turnout among every sector of society, particularly university students and workers in the legal sector. Dubai Courts has named 42 winners, specifically due to the 42nd anniversary of the National Day of the UAE, which will take place on December 2, 2013.

A large gathering, including Dubai Courts' officials, employees and strategic partners – mainly lawyers and those interested in the courts and legal consultancy sector – attended the ceremony, as well as the honourees and their families, and local media. During the ceremony, the best five suggestions amongst the 42 winners were selected. The first winner, Mr. Khaled Khalfan Mubarak was awarded a car, while the second winner, Mr. Masoud Mohamed, was given a diamond necklace, and the third winner, Mr. Hamad Al-Janahi was rewarded with a holiday trip. The fourth and fifth winners, Ms. Bakhita Al-Ketbi and Mr. Musa Hassan Rashid, respectively, each won a 3-day stay at a prominent hotel.

In a speech during the ceremony, the Managing Director of Dubai Courts, H.E. Dr. Ahmed Saeed Bin Hazeem, stated: “In line with Sheikh Mohammed's ‘Smart Government' initiative, the Dubai Courts has hastened to launch its initiative, the ‘Smart Court' campaign, via which we aspire to achieve our strategic vision, namely 'leadership in court performance'.”

“Dubai Courts has achieved outstanding achievements in the provision of eServices for litigants, not merely with regard to making access easier for customers, but also to attain leadership in Dubai Courts' performance. Furthermore, the Dubai Courts is very keen to achieve the vision of our wise leadership as quickly as possible, and achieve a ‘Smart Courts' platform that is based on modern technology. This will enable customers to complete their work and reach their objectives using the fastest, most accurate and most reliable methods,” added Bin Hazeem.

The Dubai Courts has received the suggestions through its ‘Nebras' smartphone application. The suggestion application form, which was available through the ‘Nebras' mobile app, stipulated that suggestions submitted must be entirely new, having never previously been submitted to any other party. Participants were allowed to provide as many suggestions as they wished. The decision of the Selection Committee was final, and appealing against the results of the assessment of suggestions was not permitted. Moreover, the submitted suggestions became the property of the Dubai Courts, which is entitled to use any submitted suggestion to develop its services or utilise them within its various projects or activities.

The Dubai Courts had set several criteria for submitting suggestions, including proficiency and competence in terms of time, cost and effort reduction of the service rendered; the creativity and innovation utilised to solve a problem in a unique way which effectively contributes to the improvement of services and meeting the needs of customers; the development and simplification of work procedures at Dubai Courts; and the promotion of the concept of ‘Smart Courts' by providing services to customers via mobile phone.