Mohammed bin Rashid attends signing of agreement

The Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, attended today the signature of a MoU between Smart Dubai Office, SDO, and Dubai Electronic Security Centre, DESC, to safeguard Dubai’s Digital Wealth and implement the Dubai Digital Certificates.

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, and H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, attended the signing ceremony which took place on the sidelines of the launch of Digital Wealth Initiative and Internet of Things Strategy.

The two parties aim to secure the city’s data and digital wealth and issue Digital Certificates for key smart-city projects. Smart Dubai has signed an agreement with the Dubai Electronic Security Centre to secure its services. The agreement seeks to increase the cybersecurity of smart services in Dubai and regulate the issuance of Digital Certificates for key smart-city projects that better equip Dubai’s digital infrastructure for the challenges of the future.

By protecting government and private-sector service providers, the MoU helps ensure the provision of consistent, high-quality services, which allows Smart Dubai to uphold its commitment to customer satisfaction, providing a seamless flow of information and big data between Smart Dubai, its government partners and its customers.

Dr. Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr, Director-General of the Smart Dubai Office, SDO, said, "The landmark Dubai Digital Wealth initiative, launched by The Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, marks the beginning of a new and historic phase in Smart Dubai’s mission. This agreement we’ve signed today is fundamental to implementing His Highness' directives to make the Dubai Digital Certificates a foremost tool in maintaining data security and digital wealth in the emirate, which, in turn, is one of the most important tenets of Smart Dubai’s strategic plans to spearhead the emirate’s smart transformation."

"The seamless and secure flow of information is the bedrock on which all smart-tech strategies are based," Dr. Bin Bishr added. "Smart Dubai’s approach to transforming the emirate into the happiest and smartest city in the world calls for all its government and public-sector partners to cooperate and aim for the highest standards of quality and transparency. This partnership with the Dubai Electronic Security Center amplifies our cybersecurity efforts and allows us to better identify and address challenges, as well as propose solutions."

Commenting on the signing, Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, Director-General of DESC, said, "Our close cooperation with Smart Dubai provides us with the support we need to fend off cyber-threats and make Dubai the smartest and most secure city from a digital standpoint. Exchanging knowledge and expertise is essential for joint projects, as it enables the participating entities to secure their systems and remain in line with the highest international standards, as well as Dubai’s cyber-security requirements."

Digital certificates are key to enhancing secure and reliable electronic communication as they help establish and verify identity while using digital communication platforms. Users’ identities are authenticated and encrypted by an electronic key that protects against identity theft. Government and semi-government entities in Dubai will be authorised to issue reliable digital certificates, allowing them to exchange information securely through their digital services, as well as other applications. The Certificates facilitate many different functions, including file encryption and securing communication channels for data exchange.

In the agreement, Smart Dubai and DESC pledge to collaborate and exchange administrative and technical know-how, in addition to harmonising their efforts to achieve Smart Dubai’s goals and objectives, and to outline common ICT-based smart policies, strategies and initiatives.

The MoU outlines procedures to exchange information that is of common interest to joint projects – throughout the planning, implementation and follow-up stages – as well as to regulate the use and reuse of published information, such as cybersecurity standards and smart-tech expertise covering Blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data and other cutting-edge technologies. Also, the two parties are set to cooperate on joint government projects, including the development and implementation of nation-wide security standards, security audits of electronic service systems and the development of security policies and strategies.