Amman, Sept. 30 (Petra) -- Minister of State for Public Sector Development Badria Al-Balbisi and Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Sami Smeirat held a workshop for secretaries-general and directors-general at ministries and government institutions on the Paperless Government Index.
The workshop, held Wednesday at the Prime Ministry, discussed mechanisms for implementing a Cabinet decision requiring ministries and government institutions to raise the Paperless Government Index by no less than 20% within 12 months, given that the average performance of government entities covered by the index reached 58% last year.
Al-Balbisi stressed that a paperless government does not mean reducing paper consumption or saving printing costs, but rather its essence rests on building an operating environment within government departments based on technology and digital systems. She explained that this environment will help reduce reliance on paper procedures and documents, raise performance efficiency, reflected in reduced time and effort, and enhance future readiness so that all operations of a ministry or institution are digital, integrated, and capable of using data and artificial intelligence tools.
She noted that the digital environment in government departments is at the heart of the second executive program of the Public Sector Modernization Roadmap, particularly the citizen-centered government axis, stressing the importance of the Paperless Government Index as a tool for measuring the extent of transformation in the operating and administrative environment of government entities.
Al-Balbisi pointed out that the Cabinet decision to raise the Paperless Government Index by 20% and accelerate digital transformation comes through activating electronic correspondence, expanding the use of digital signatures and electronic archiving, using approved government systems in human resources and administrative procedures, and reducing requests for paper documents and copies when available electronically.
Al-Balbisi called on secretaries-general and directors-general to accelerate digital transformation within ministries and government institutions, as they are the leaders of change and responsible for this transformation, which would reflect on improving institutional and individual performance.
For his part, Smeirat stressed that the transition to a paperless government means redesigning the work cycle within government institutions to become digital from start to finish, including correspondence, procedures, approvals, signatures, and archiving, reflecting on the speed of completion, efficiency of performance, and ease of follow-up.
He noted that adopting 58% as a baseline for the Paperless Government Index represents a starting point for measuring progress, pointing out that the Cabinet decision set a clear implementation path to raise the index by no less than 20% within 12 months through executive plans that identify procedures still requiring paper, targets, and required systems, leading to a more integrated and efficient government work environment.
Smeirat added that the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship will continue its role in empowering government entities, supporting them technically, enhancing system integration and data exchange, and expanding the use of digital identity and signature. He noted that government correspondence systems represent a practical model for this transformation by moving correspondence from paper circulation to an integrated digital work cycle, starting with its creation, moving through its transfer and follow-up, and ending with its electronic approval and preservation.
A number of secretaries-general and directors-general made interventions during the session focused on the reality of digital transformation in their institutions and the challenges they face, affirming the importance of the Paperless Government Index in measuring the extent of digital transformation in public institutions.
The session included a visual presentation by Director of the Government Services and Procedures Team at the Public Sector Modernization Program Management and Implementation Unit, Abeer Lataifeh, and Director of Digital Development and Enablement at the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, Bilal Bani Hani, on the Paperless Government Index, reviewing the state of institutions and the steps required in the coming period.
The session also included an introductory video on the Paperless Government Index platform, which measures the percentage of digital transformation within government departments internally and the challenges they face.
//Petra// AF
