In order to achieve excellence in eService delivery and provide better services to all, the Kingdom of Bahrain has implemented many ICT projects and initiatives in cooperation with and international organizations.

The Kingdom of Bahrain is always keen to share and transfer knowledge with all relevant countries with the aim to be in-line with the government direction towards continuous improvement in the digital transformation.

Bahrain has a historical relationship with United Nations. Since its establishment, the Information & eGovernment Authority  has a strategic partnership with the United Nations on eGovernment Development Department. The partnership is remarked by the bi-annual eGovernment Development/ Readiness Survey, in which Kingdom of Bahrain has always ranked leading positions with a "very high" index ranking. The Kingdom has taken the initiative also to translate the 2014th edition of the report into Arabic language (PDF, 10.9MB, 284 Pages, Arabic only).

United Nations eGovernment Survey 2018

Results of the United Nations eGovernment Readiness Survey 2018  has shown the Kingdom of Bahrain’s achievement that rank as 26th globally and 5th among Asia. Bahrain has maintained its leading position amongst countries with “Very-High” indexes making only two Arab countries, out of eight in Asia, to attain such position.

This classification was not attained by any Arab country apart from Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Moreover, only 40 countries were capable of achieving such leading international classification amongst 193 countries being evaluated. The Kingdom also accomplished a massive leap in achieving the 4th position international within the Telecoms Infrastructure index – seven ranks higher from the last issued report in 2016.

United Nations eGovernment Survey 2016

The results of the United Nations eGovernment Report 2016 showed Bahrain's high ranking and its success to maintain the top position for four years in a row, in the Arab eGovernment readiness category. Bahrain was also ranked among the best in developed countries in the world for two consecutive surveys.

Bahrain ranked 24th in the eGovernment readiness in the world, ranking first in the region, followed by the United Arab Emirates (29th), Kuwait (40th), Saudi Arabia (44th), Qatar (48th) and Oman (66th). The Telecommunication Infrastructure Index has achieved remarkable advance to rank 11th in the world after ranking 26th in 2014. In 2018, the Kingdom of Bahrain jumped to the 4th place globally in the Telecommunication Infrastructure Index.

United Nations eGovernment Survey 2014

The Kingdom of Bahrain has achieved an advanced rank in the UN eGovernment Survey 2014 on the eGovernment readiness and quality of eServices, were it was rated at the forefront of five geographic regions achieving rank number 18 worldwide and 1st on the Arab and Middle East countries with its eGovernment readiness.

The report is integral and comprehensive in measuring the readiness of eGovernment and is the only report globally that evaluates the readiness of 193 world countries and United Nations Member States. It has indicated the advancement of Bahrain on the eParticipation Index - occupying the 14th rank after it had been the 19th within the last report in 2012. Such an achievement moved Bahrain ahead, as it was also classified, for the 3rd consecutive time, as one of the top 8 countries in the Global Web Index. The Kingdom of Bahrain has initiated to translate the UN eGovernment Survey 2014 into Arabic language to spread the benefits of the latest trends in eGovernment that are highlighted in the report to a wider range of Arab countries.

• Read more about Bahrain in UN eGovernment Development Surveys 

The Kingdom of Bahrain is in constant collaboration with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Members in defining the GCC eGovernment Strategy with an Implementation Plan that is being monitored Regularly. Bahrain is an active member in the GCC eGovernment Executive Committee sharing knowledge and challenges in developing the BeAware Bahrain app for combating the corona virus COVID-19 and cloud computing challenges and solutions, as well as the phases for its implementation in Bahrain.

Bahrain’s Digital Strategy is already aligned with the Regional eGovernment Strategy among the GCC countries, and it went through 3 waves of Implementation. The GCC eGovernment Strategy is formed with a set of Initiatives that is being prioritized on yearly basis matching the global trends and directions in the region. The Kingdom of Bahrain’s submitted several initiatives to the GCC including a model for measuring eGovernment guiding strategy implementation. The strategy also included other initiatives prepared by member states, such as a periodic report on the achievements of eGovernment, including the provision of eServices through multiple channels, in addition to improving the quality of Arabic content available on the Internet.

The Kingdom of Bahrain attains the confidence of the international community and as a result, it has been selected as the 1st Arab country and the 4th world state to host the United Nations Public Service Forum & Awards 2013 outside of the United Nations' headquarters in New York.

• UNPSA 2013 Booklet
• UNPSA Agenda

Bahrain has won the United Nations Public Service Award in three categories during 2010 event, one category in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The Kingdom has also organized the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum , where the performance indicators and criteria set by the United Nations for the readiness of eGovernment were discussed.

UN Study Tour

For two consecutive years, Bahrain was also selected, by the UN in 2014 and 2015, as the 1st country in the world to be visited by large delegations representing various countries to benefit from its experience in the field of eGovernment and sign agreements - aiming at transferring its successful experience and assist these countries to develop their own eGovernment strategies. The country has also hosted a number of visits from high level delegations from more than 25 countries and international organizations that benefited from the experience of the Kingdom in the field of eGovernment and public service. Delegations from Morocco and Malaysia have visited Bahrain to share knowledge and experiences in the field of eGovernment, and to collaborate in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.  

The Kingdom has also initiated to organize a knowledge-sharing workshop on United Nations eGovernment indicators for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and a workshop of the Arab Center for eContent Development.

Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Industry and Communication

Bahrain received a delegation from Turkmenistan’s  Ministry of Industry and Communication in September 2019 in line with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the governments of the Kingdom of Bahrain and Turkmenistan relating to cooperation in the field of eGovernment. The MoU allows for the sharing of the Kingdom’s experience in the field and further strengthening cooperation between the two countries.  

The delegation learned about Bahrain's National eGovernment Strategy and its role in promoting the adoption of modern technology in the government sector, which contributes to improvements in the quality of its services and higher customer satisfaction. The delegation also learned about major national projects, along with the National Suggestions and Complaints system (Tawasul), the move towards cloud computing, as well as The Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA)  efforts in the fields of information security, radio communications, and statistics. The delegation was also introduced to Bahrain’s efforts to reengineer government services procedures so that they can accommodate the changing and increasing demands of citizens as well as public and private organizations. In addition, iGA showcased the Kingdom’s experience in the United Nations (UN) eGovernment Survey.

Global eGovernment Experts Workshop  

More than 17 countries, representing world regions, participated in the Global eGovernment Expert workshop to explore, discuss and address encountered challenges and the improvement areas associated in the eGovernment development indicators that are considered by UNDESA for the 2014 report. ITU and UNESCO senior officials were present at the multi-stakeholder discussion which encompassed a series of presentations, informative insights, inputs and suggestions as well as thought-provoking papers which all left a beneficial legacy. Participated experts stressed the need to hold a similar conference every two years. 

The Global eGovernment Expert Workshop recommendations have been presented by the to UNDESA in New York during the UN eGovernment Expert Group meeting in December 2012 to convey the member stats challenges and recommendations about the assessment criteria. Group members applauded Bahrain's pioneering initiative to host such workshop, being the first-of-its-kind, and accepted most of the presented recommendations. The outcomes and recommendations were also digitally published and printed for future reference as well as distributed to every stakeholder to give them a better understanding of the UN measurements.

UN Global Alliance for ICT for Development (UN-GAID)

The Kingdom of Bahrain has become a member in UN-GAID Strategic Council in 2010. In coordination with UN-GAID, the Kingdom of Bahrain has submitted a proposal related to the establishment of the Millennium Development Goals Center and host a capacity building program to provide Information & Communications Technology (ICT) advisory services to African countries and other Least Developed Countries. Bahrain has participated in all UN-GAID activities and preparations for the high-level reports which have been presented to UN General Assembly in 2010.

 
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

Bahrain’s Capital, Manama, was selected as the Capital of Innovation and Arab Entrepreneurs for the year 2014 in collaboration with UNIDO and the Arab Thought Forum; positioning its first fingerprints on the map of entrepreneurship and investment. For that purpose, the city of Manama introduced a set of systems and strategies which empower the entrepreneurs in the economic activity in a way making the Kingdom an investment and economy destination as well as a global financial center.

As the Capital of Innovation and Arab Entrepreneurs, Manama city events and activities calendar comprised a set of programs, forums and conferences that aim at introducing the youth to concepts of entrepreneurship and highlighting the role of the private sector.

The calendar also included the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum  – held in April 2014 in its 7th edition - under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak AlKhalifa, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information & Communication Technology (SCICT). The prominent event witnessed the participation of more than 5,000 persons including the Opening Ceremony and forum sessions, the involvement of 67 speakers, the Bahrain IT Exhibition 2014 together with workshops.

Communication & Information Technology Regulatory Authority – Kuwait

Kingdom of Bahrain, represented by Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA ) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Communication & Information Technology Regulatory Authority in Kuwait  to share knowledge and experience in Cloud Computing in term as the Kingdom is the first Arab country in the region who has taken steps towards going to cloud for government services.  

Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA)

The Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA ) signed a memorandum of understanding with Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA)  , which contributes in the development of the IT sector and capacity building as well as encourages and attracts the financial capitals and investments in the Kingdom through the exchange of experiences, visits and keeping abreast with the latest projects. In addition to learning the most prominent technical solutions in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and eService fields.

The authority provides KOTRA with the latest developments of projects, tenders and investment opportunities available through the authority's projects in ICT, eServices and process re-engineering.

This takes place through the creation of a wide informatics database that provides accurate information for local and potential investors. Meanwhile, KOTRA contacts companies and investors in South Korea to present the available opportunities in the Kingdom.

European Union (EU)

The Information & eGovernment Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Science & Technology International Network (EU-GCC)  which organized – for the first time - the participation of a large high-level European Union delegation comprising around 30 commission experts at the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum  2015.

The delegation presented a workshop entitled ‘Horizon 2020 Information Day’ which demonstrated the initiative of one of the biggest research and innovation programs ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over seven years (2014 to 2020), in particular due to the expansion seen by the European Union across the globe.

This means that participation is guaranteed for all, regardless of their place of establishment or residence in order for audience to attain the highest value of benefit of such initiative.