iGA Chief Executive Explores Digital Cooperation Opportunities with UN Organizations
25 Apr 2025
The Chief Executive of the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA), Mr. Mohammed Ali Al Qaed held several meetings with representatives of international and UN-affiliated organizations during his participation in the MENA eGovernment Workshops 2025 held in Doha from April 23rd to 24th. The discussions aimed to strengthen mutual relations and explore avenues for enhanced digital cooperation.
In this context, Al Qaed met with Mr. Danny Wazen, Head of the Digital Transformation Team at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Arab States. The meeting focused on potential areas of collaboration in capacity development, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI). Both sides also discussed the impact and importance of AI for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the ecosystem.
iGA CE also met with Mr. Horton Mayerhof, Academic Fellow and eGovernment Advisor at the United Nations University. The two parties explored opportunities for cooperation and knowledge exchange, particularly in user experience enhancement.
They discussed ways to leverage international advisory and academic expertise to support government efforts in delivering services that meet public expectations. The meeting also touched on organizing joint development workshops to explore and adopt the latest global best practices in user experience.
Furthermore, Al Qaed held a meeting with Mr. Hunt Lakasia, Senior Digital Development Specialist at the World Bank. Discussions covered several key topics of mutual interest, including Bahrain’s experience in governance and digital strategic projects. Al Qaed highlighted Bahrain’s recently launched revamped ID card, outlining its advanced security features. He also introduced the revamped eKey 2.0 system, which enables users to access services across the public and private sectors through biometric authentication, eliminating the need for passwords.
These meetings were held on the sidelines of iGA Chief Executive’s participation in the high-level panel “Digital Governments in GCC Countries” , as part of the MENA eGovernment Workshops 2025 in Doha. The event was organized in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and brought together a distinguished group of government leaders, officials, and digital transformation experts.
During the panel, Mr. Al Qaed discussed several key topics, including accelerating digital transformation across the GCC countries, the importance of GCC Digital Twinning Program, and the adoption of emerging technologies such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
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