Manafez Dubai | July 2014

Issued by the General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs-Dubai

GDRFA-Dubai signs MoU with DSC Cyber security market in ME to be worth $25 billion

Major General Obaid Moheir bin Suroor:

www.manafezdubai.com

Issue 3 July 2014

GDRFA sees 37 percent increase in trainees Family is top factor in success of costly job transfers

GDRFA to implement APIS by end-2014

Welcome Message

Our cadres are the real treasures organizations require a progressive and ambitious B igadministrative philosophy. The one that is capable of coping with the challenges and at the same time add to its growth and development.

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA)-Dubai, which deals with millions of people every month from all the segments, follows the same principle.

Its ultimate goal is to make the UAE's orientations into action, keep up with its blueprint and put in place the necessary plans and procedures that could help in smooth implementation of the targeted strategies in accordance with the best international practices in the relevant sectors.

There is no doubt that adoption of the state-ofthe-art technology is crucial in achieving these objectives. But technology alone cannot help us in achieving the desired results until we work on improving our human resources. It is the human capabilities and skills, boosted by education and training, that can help us utilize the technology in the best possible way for the welfare of the country and its people.

We strongly believe that investing in human resources can help in sustainable development process and overall progress. It is the only way to drastically reduce the impact of any sudden or exceptional circumstances on our progress march.

Our administration has one of the world's most advanced programmes for human development, which links the skills of employees not only to its requirements, but also to economic, social and technological advancements at both local and international levels. This ensures that all economic sectors work with their full capacity and least obstacles, without compromising on security standards, which is generally a difficult equation and needs proficiency and skills to deal with it.

We are open to and learn from all the successful administrative experiences inside and outside the

UAE. The goal is to get acquainted with the best practices and innovative solutions implemented anywhere in the world to overcome obstacles similar to the ones we generally face. Therefore, studying such solutions closely remains our top priority.We admire the methodology of sport coaches, who do not wait for competent and skilled people to come and join their teams by mere chance, but they go out to search for them everywhere and put them at places where these efficient people can do their best to help secure success and excellence for the whole group. This is exactly what we do here through our Talent Care Programme which over the past three years has attracted a number of competent students to complete their studies at the expense of the GDRFA-Dubai in the specialties it needs such as ICT, statistics and engineering.

We have recently established a department for positive energy, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East. Over a short period of time, it has managed to enhance skills of a large number of employees.

I'm fully confident that our management school is unique and needs concerted efforts by the administration, employees, students and partners to achieve even greater success. We invest in human cadres and consider them our real treasure and the crucial link between failure and success. 

Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri Director General GDRFA-Dubai

|Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 1

GDRFA Message

GDRFA

in History

t

October 1971 Pursuant to an order promulgated by the then Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, two departments were established: Central Immigration Department and Ports and Borders Department

t

October 1972 The two departments were merged with the UAE’s Ministry of Interior and Federal Law No. 17 concerning the naturalization and passports was promulgated.

t

1973 Federal Law No. (6) concerning Immigration and Residency was promulgated as the first law regulating the entry and residency of expatriates in United Arab Emirates.

t

1977 The two departments were merged and the new Department shifted to a building in the ministries complex

t

1982 The Administration shifted to the present building during the tenure of Colonel Mohammad Al-Ghaith

t

2003 The building was completely refurbished during the tenure of Brigadier General Saeed Bin Belaila

t

1999 Naturalization and Residency Administration, Dubai, established a branch at Hatta Fort

t

1995 Jebel Ali Port branch was inaugurated

2 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ |

Our Vision The UAE to become one the safest and most secure countries in the world.

Our Mission To work efficiently and effectively to enhance the quality of life for UAE society through security, transit, rehabilitation, residency services and secure the safety of lives and property.

Our Values t t t t t t t

Justice Work with team spirit Excellence Good cooperation Integrity Loyalty Social responsibility

Strategic objectives t Strengthening of security and safety t Ensure readiness and preparedness in disasters and crises t Enhancing public confidence in the effectiveness of the provided services t The optimal use of security information t Secure the provision of all administrative services in accordance with standards of quality, efficiency and transparency

To communicate with GDRFA: Location: Aljaffilya - Bur Dubai PO Box : UAE – Dubai 4333 Email: amer@dnrd.ae Toll Free Number: 04 3139999 - 8005111 Working Hours: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM GDRFA-Dubai http:// www.dnrd.ae Dubai Airport Freezone http://www.dafz.ae Dubai Public Prosecution http://www.dxbpp.gov.ae Dubai Municipality https://www.dm.gov.ae

Department of Economic Development http://www.dubaided.gov.ae Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing http://www.dubaitourism.ae Land and Property Department http://www.dubailand.gov.ae

Contents

GDRFA News RAK Chamber delegation visits GDRFA-Dubai

GDRFA-Dubai signs MoU with DSC

Monthly newsletter issued by GDRFA-Dubai

P5

P4

UAE News Foreign investment in UAE rises to $10.5 billion

New biometric rule in UAE for Saudi visaseekers

P 12

P 13

Major General Mohammed Ahmed Almarri Director General of GDRFA - Dubai

General Supervision

Middle East News

Brig. Obaid Muhair Bin Suroor

Middle East private wealth exceeds $5 trillion

Cyber security market in ME to be worth $25 billion

Honorary President

P 17

Deputy Director General of GDRFA - Dubai

General Coordinator

Captain Khalid Al Rahma Editorial Consultant Ghassan Suleiman

P 16

International News Australian borders go digital

New Zealand to reintroduce 10-year validity passport

P 18

P 19

Strategic Technology Partner of GDRFA-Dubai Content, Production, Marketing & Advertising Nadd Al Shiba PR and Event Management Phone: + 9714 2566707

Fighting Identity fraud with Data Mining

Cybercrime results in significant impact on economies

Fax: + 9714 2566704 Website

www.naddalshiba.com

Email

info@naddalshiba.com

P 20 Family is top factor in success of costly job transfers

P 23

P 24 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 3

GDRFA News

GDRFA-Dubai signs MoU with DSC

T he General Directorate of Resi-

dency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) has signed a Memorendum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai Statistics Centre (DSC) to enhance strategic cooperation for sharing statistics and data that will benefit both the organizations.

The deal was inked by Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of GDRFA-Dubai, and the DSC Chief Executive Arif Obaid Al Muhairi in the presence of senior GDRFA-Dubai and DSC officials. The MoU is line with the GDRFA-Dubai’s vision of cooperation with the government entities in order to raise the level of excellence in public governance and help the government achieve the goals set out in the UAE and Dubai Strategic Plans. GDRFADubai and DSC, under the terms of the MoU, will share vital information and data in a way that will contribute to better accuracy of information available to key

4 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ |

decision-makers in the government for future planning and administrative purposes.

Major General Al Marri said the MoU will help enhance cooperation between two key government entities for preparing strategic plans and launch projects and initiatives by the GDRFADubai for its customers.

Arif Al Muhairi said the agreement will mutually help both the organizations in terms of expertise and knowledge sharing in the preparation of statistical studies, surveys, research and field surveys about vital information pertaining to demographic trends and other vital socio-economic indicators.

He underscored the importance of cooperation among the government bodies in support of the Dubai Strategic Plan. DSC is the official source responsible for providing statistical data in the Emirate. The Center undertakes statistical activities, carrying out

the general census of population, and the count of housing and establishments. It conducts economic and social statistical surveys and has created a modern and comprehensive statistical system ensuring that it has become the only official source for the collection, analysis and publication of statistical information and data for Dubai. Established in 2006, the Center manages and develops information systems and statistical databases to meet the requirements of planning and comprehensive development processes which help support the decision makers at all levels. During his visit to launch the DSC’s Strategic Plan 2015, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, ordered that cooperation and coordination between the DSC and the local departments be established to gather and publish all digital data related to economic, demographic, social and healthcare development in Dubai. 

GDRFA News

RAK delegation visits GDRFA-Dubai

A delegation from the Ras Al Khaim-

ah Chamber of Commerce and Industry has visited the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFADubai) as part of the initiatives to enhance cooperation between the GDRFA-Dubai and organizations within the UAE. The delegation was welcomed GDRFA-Dubai officials including Khalid Abdulkarim, Manager of Financial Department, Mohammed Al Sayed and Marwan Al Jabri. The

RAK Chamber of Commerce and Industry delegation was led by Eisa Al Nuaimi, Manager of Finance Department, and included Manar Rashid Al Matroushi and Yazan Jameel. During the visit, the RAK officials were briefed about the various work and initiatives of GDRFADubai, its portfolio of electronic services and plans to enhance customer services.

They were informed about the ways in which the RAK Chamber of Commerce and Industry could ben-

efit from the GDRFA-Dubai’s expertise and distinguished services, especially in the Financial Management and Customer Services.

The visitors toured the Human Resources, Finance, Internal Audit and Risk Management departments at the GDRFA-Dubai. The delegation members thanked the GDRFADubai for its hospitality and for the relentless efforts towards being a role model for best government services provider benefitting millions of residents and visitors. 

Risk Analysis training course graduation ceremony M ajor General Mohammed Ahmed Al

Marri, Director General of GDRFADubai underscored the importance of holding training courses in vital technical and administrative domains in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and OPrime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for developing human resources compatible with the sweeping developments taking place in the UAE.

He was speaking at the graduation ceremony for the Strategic Risk Analysis training course, held at the GDRFA-Dubai headquarters and attended by senior GDRFA-Dubai officials.

He said the GDRFA-Dubai has been striving to raise the competency and excellence levels in all the sectors it has been working in through periodically conducting specialized training courses for the staff members so that

the customer service levels could be taken few notches up.

Major General Al Marri urged the GDRFA-Dubai employees to commit themselves to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as outlined in his book. He quoted His Highness Sheikh Mohammed as saying excellence does not come by chance but has to be planned and achieved through hard work.  |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 5

GDRFA News

Al Marri welcomes Al Ahli Club delegation

M ajor

General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) welcomed a delegation of players and board of directors of Al Ahli Football Club, the winner of the Arabian Super Cup, the Arabian Gulf League and Arabian Gulf Cup. He praised the achievements of the club and wished them success and good luck in their future endeavors. The Al Ahli club delegation included Mohammed Faraj, Deputy CEO, Abdulmajid Hussain, Team Superv isor, Moosa Taher, Deputy Manager for PR, and players Basher

6 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ |

Saeed, Adnan Hussein, Saif Yousuf and Yousuf Al Sayed.

Major General Al Marri praised the efforts and determination of the players, technical team and management which resulted in the triple win in addition to success in other tournaments and championships. He underscored the importance of excellence in the sports domain to maintain the successful track record.

Thanking the GDRFA-Dubai and Major General Al Marri for the reception and hospitality, Mohammed Faraj said this would go a long move in motivating and boosting the spirit of the club players to achieve fur-

ther excellence in the future.

He said the cooperation and support of government bodies to the club plays an important role in strengthening the role and contribution towards excellence in sports.

As a token of appreciation for his support and cooperation to Al Ahli club, a memento was presented to Major General Al Marri at the end of the meeting.

Al Ahli is one of the most successful clubs in the UAE, having been established in 1970, when three local teams joined together to form the club -Al Wehdah, Al Shabab and Al Najah. 

Our

Message

In less than 20 seconds B y 2015, we will add another achievement

to our list of success when we start implementing the Advance Passenger Information (API) system which will enable us in prescreening all the relevant data about the passengers coming to the UAE even they board the airplanes flying in them to the destination.

Through this system, we will be able to complete the passport control procedures in less than 20 seconds.

This project would not have been made possible without the support and directives of Lieutenant General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of UAE and Minister of Interior, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of DCAA and Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman of the Higher Committee overseeing the project, and Major General Mohammed Al Marri, Director General of GDRFA-Dubai and Deputy Chairman of the project committee.

The API system implementation will allow the UAE to be in the forefront of world’s leading aviation hubs in absorbing the huge anticipated increase in the air traveler numbers, which according to IATA; will reach four billion by 2017.

The implementation of this system will enable us reap significant benefits, the main being enhanced security control at the airports as a result of checking passengers’ personal and travel document details in our databases to determine if they have a risk/threat profile.

In addition, the implementation of this system will put our airports on the list of global

airports that provide friendly environment for international airlines which in the past have been subject to heavy fines for bring on board passengers without a visa or an expired visa.

In doing so, we will enhance our airports’ competitiveness and help improve travelers experience.

Despite the successful experimental trial over the past years, the project’s working team opted for the gradual implementation of the API system to eliminate any loopholes and glitches.

This extended timeframe will also help us train more staff to run the system effectively and smoothly while making more and more people learn about the system and its benefits to one and all.

We will start the first phase of the project for the first and business class passengers of Emirates Airlines and later economy class passengers will be covered followed by more airlines coming on board. 

Major General Obaid Moheir bin Suroor Deputy Director General GDRFA-Dubai

|Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 7

Cover Story

GDRFA to implement Advance Passenger Information System by end-2014 New cutting-edge system aims to raise the security at airports T he UAE’s Ministry of Interior (MoI) will officially implement the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) by the end of 2014 or early next year, revealed Major General Obaid Muhair Bin Suroor, Deputy Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai). Under the directives of Lieutenant General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of UAE and Minister of Interior, the new system will be implemented to help airlines process their passengers’ details before their departure to the UAE.

According to Major General Obaid, the MoI had assigned GDRFA-Dubai to oversee the project since the launch of its concept in 2009. The APIS, which was put on trial for a couple of years to test its efficacy, aims to raise the security at airports and at the same time reduce the time of passenger-checking procedures to less than 20 seconds, he said.

Lauding the directives and achievements of the MoI in safeguarding the UAE airports, Major General Obaid said the adoption of latest technologies and devices, beside people-friendly policies, help travel sector deal with constant security challenges. "The use of technologies like APIS also helps reduce complications 8 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ |

and disparities in security-check procedures faced by passengers while dealing with different airport operators and airlines in different countries," he added.

Backing the continuous technological innovations, he said the API system has already been implemented at some of the airports across the world as per the recommendations of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to deal with the record growth in passengers' number, which is expected to touch four billion by 2017.

In an exclusive interview, Major General Obaid said the system will link airline companies that use Dubai International

Airport with the GDRFA-Dubai in order to help them enhance their abilities to discover fake or expired documents, including passports and visas, before they transport the passengers to the emirate.

"This will help them avoid the expenses involved in transporting illegal passengers," he said, adding that the API System is ready for implementation at national level and a final approval from the government is likely any time soon." He said the initiative will not only beef up the security at the airports across the UAE, but will also help in smooth handling of the increased number of air travelers in the near future. Dubai alone is expected to witness 100 million passengers by 2020.

Major General Obaid said the country is

Cover Story

now well-equipped to deal with the security threats that come with a huge increase in passengers' influx and increased criminal activities across the borders. Excerpts:

Tell us in details about the API System and its benefits?

The government will implement the API System before the end of this year or next year in close cooperation with the airlines. We have already finished 95 percent of the project. The system will allow us to process passengers’ immigration details well before their arrival in the country. This will contribute in improving the security surveillance and reduced crowding at airports. It will also cut the security-check time to less than 20 seconds.

The new system will save airlines from the penalty they pay when transporting passengers with expired documents or those who are banned from entering the country.

We intend to implement the API System officially in phases in order to ensure that the process runs smoothly and remains convenient for all the concerned bodies until they get used to it. This will also give us time to spread the word among passengers on how we would be using their personal info to make their journey a pleasant experience. We will start the first phase with the First class and Business class passengers of Emirates Airlines. Gradually, we will expand its reach to include the Economy passengers. At a later stage, the government will circulate guidelines to all the airlines to follow the suit and benefit from the API System.

The system is currently being applied in the US and some European countries.

The UAE too need to implement the API System at its airports, which was used by more than 90 million passengers in 2013.

In this background, the government, under the guidance of Lieutenant General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of UAE

and Minister of Interior, is seriously looking into the matter. A higher committee was formed under the chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Airports.

Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai), is the Deputy Chairman of the committee, which included members of GDRFADubai, Dubai Police, Dubai Customs, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Emirates Airlines. We visited a number of countries to review this system along with a delegation from the Ministry of Interior.

The visits included the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Australia.

The project was born as a concept in 2009.

We discussed it with His Highness Sheikh Ahmad bin Saeed, who not only liked the concept but also advised us to implement it across the country. A team was formed.

The API System implementation requires a decree from the Prime Minister’s Office, urging the airlines to share with us the data of passengers. Things are going on the right track. Inshallah, the system will be implemented by the year end or early next year after the approval from the government.

How will the UAE accommodate the anticipated huge increase in the number of passengers?

The UAE was among the first few countries to install electronic gates at its airports. The move was aimed at accommodating the rapid increase in the numbers of passengers, which couldn’t have been dealt with through traditional method.

Later on, we moved to implement Smart gates. The government plans to install about 120 Smart gates in Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airports to replace the electronic gates.

The new API system will further ease the process as we will have passenger details well in advance and process them even before their arrival at the airport. Under the system, there will be a green line (like at the Customs) for the passenger who had passed before and there would be no need for any checks but to confirm that he is the same person with the same data that we received. As for the other passengers whose travel documents need to checked would be passing through the red line.

We are constantly working on making the system more efficient, smooth and userfriendly and plug any loophole to make it capable of dealing with the latest security challenges. For instance, the face and fingerprints may come in handy and specify whether the person was pre-registered or is a first time visitor.

According to the latest statistics, 80 percent of the total passengers have travelled once or more through our airports.

In other words, passengers coming to the country for the first time comprise only 20 percent. We can screen their details with more focus and concentration. The latest initiative not only ensures the precision of security procedures, but helps the government handle with the increased number of passengers conveniently. This process also makes a passenger's journey smooth and enjoyable.

And they would like to visit our country again and again.

This system will also help us keep track of a passenger from the moment he starts his travel procedure at the passport control until his boarding on the plane. At present, sometimes a passenger misses his flight or is taken off the plane after boarding for crosschecking. These incidents may reduce drastically once the API System is implemented. I strongly believe in future we may do away with checking counters for passengers at the airport. |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 9

Cover Story

How are you planning and preparing to host Expo 2020 in Dubai?

The first challenge is to facilitate visitors and exhibitors. The second one is the security issue as dealing with 20-25 million visitors is not an easy. It is a major responsibility. We also need to ensure that whosoever come in goes back too. In this regard, the role of the violators’ followup department will be vital. We off course welcome all the visitors. But, unfortunately, not all of them have good intentions.

There are some who try to take undue advantage of global events like this one.

However, we are well prepared to provide the needed facilitations to make the Expo 2020 succeed. There would be services allocated for the participants and/or volunteers. We have witnessed this experiment at the Olympic Games held in Britain. A special card was issued to each participant that served as a passport to enter the event beside several other facilities. This means that the participants need to get registered to avail special facilitations.

Where does the international cooperation figure on your interest map?

Deepening and expanding international cooperation is one of the key focuses of the GDRFA-Dubai. When we talk about international cooperation, we not only talk about mere exchange of visits and participation in conferences and global exhibitions, but we also mean to be an active player in the international stage.

When I took the position of chair at the international governmental committee to control the borders affiliated to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), we had set up the UAE Team for International Cooperation because we can’t work alone. We have a strong collaboration with the International Police Organization (Interpol). We have benefitted from it a lot when it comes to training, information and expertise exchange. Criminal activi10 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ |

ties happening in other countries do affect our security -- directly and indirectly. We have to realize that the security challenges faced by the concerned authorities across the world when it comes to the management of international airports are the more or less the same. Hence, the exchange of different information, development of the border control operations, previewing of passengers details, benefitting from the latest technologies and information systems and constant upgrading of the security staff performance have become an inevitable necessity. Especially, when it involves international airports like Dubai International, we have to be cautious and constantly on our toes as wrong social elements are always busy finding ways to breach our security network to carry out their illegal and inhuman activities.

Is choosing the UAE as the Head of the International Working Group a culmination of the global cooperation?

Choosing the UAE, represented by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA-Dubai), to head the International Government Working Group to control the borders affiliated to (IATA)), came after we received a majority of votes from the representative members at the end of the last meeting of the association. Being chosen to head the group is an honor and a huge responsibility. After all, the UAE is the first Arab country to be nominated for this position, which allows us to contribute closely to build the future of the implemented legislations, systems and security procedures at the international airports. This is considering the fact that Dubai airport is one of the biggest international passenger hubs.

How are you preparing to face the challenges of the record growth in numbers of passengers at two Dubai airports?

New system to reduce the time of passenger-checking procedures to less than 20 seconds, says GDRFADubai Deputy Director General The air travel industry has witnessed tremendous leaps as per the estimates of Strategic Plan 2020, which was placed to cope up with growth in the number of passengers. During the past years, Dubai faced major challenges because of the record growth in the passenger traffic. However, we consider these challenges as opportunities for development and progress.

Now our plans and thoughts are focused on post-Smart gates phase.

What are the most important accomplishments?

During the past few years, we were able to accomplish many significant goals. For example, with the cooperation and coordination between Dubai Airports and Emirates and other airlines, we have drastically

Cover Story

wise directions and unlimited support ensured the completion of projects assigned to us. I also would like to thank the officers and other staff members of GDRFA for their devotion, unwavering efforts and high sense of team spirit to carry out major responsibilities which are upon the shoulders of the Directorate to make our beloved homeland a safer and better place.

What are your views about the Smart government?

reduced the number of passengers arriving without correct visas to Dubai airports and stay here for a long period of time without the knowledge of the airports authorities. Also, in 2012, we detected more than 1,300 fake passports and stopped people who were trying to enter the country illegally. We helped authorities in foiling several human trafficking operations in Dubai. We have adopted the smart solutions to control our borders. The government is working on the first stage of installing the Smart gates at Dubai airports.

The smart gate is an automated, secure and convenient self-service alternative to the conventional border control process through immigration officers. The Emirati-built Smart gate identifies users through their passports, ID cards or e-Gate cards. It uses facial and eye-recognition technology to identify and verify the user. Once the checks are made, the gate opens automatically for travelers to pass through to baggage reclaim areas. We have established a centre to check documents. These are just few of the achievements we have made.

On this occasion, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to Major General Mohammed Al Marri, whose

The GDRFA-Dubai is moving towards Smart transformation. We are not only working on solutions where customers would be able to finish their transactions by the telephone and the websites without leave the comfort of their houses or disrupt their works, but we are also considering a stage where the employees too would be able to carry out their work at home by logging on the management’s information system.

If all the government departments turn Smart, we may not need big buildings to receive and entertain the customers. I believe that within 10 years from now, few customers will need to show up personally to complete their transactions. Even those who have few complications would be able to sort it out from wherever they are.

The massive funds that are being spent by some government departments on buildings, headquarters and establishments can be allocated to buy the latest technological devices and equipment and to create a suitable working environment that enables the employee to innovate and create better solutions. We have a strategic plan to complete the electronic transformation process, in which our services will become electronic by 98 percent. And over the past five years, we have accomplished a quantum leap in achieving this goal. The ratio of electronic services has increased from 65 percent in 2007 to reach approximately 96 percent today. We are ready to fulfill the target set by the Dubai govern-

ment and the Ministry of Interior for the Smart government initiative and the UAE Vision project, which is to level up the average to 98 percent by 2015.

What are your future plans?

The next stage will witness the launch of more Smart solutions to deal with the travel procedures even faster as per the highest global security standards. Recently, the management concluded the first phase of the Smart gate project in Dubai International Airport to enable the passengers complete their immigration procedures personally, in less than 20 seconds. The first stage of this strategic project -- which had allocations of AED100 million from Emirates, Dubai Airports and GDRFA -included the installation of 28 Smart gates at the arrivals hall at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport. This has contributed in accelerating the passenger traffic and reduced their waiting periods in front of the passport points, not to mention the excess of 100 additional electronic gates which also serve the same purpose.

Where does the customer service stand in your map of interests?

Customer service remains the prime focus of the management. After all, it is the root of all the Smart government initiatives being carried out by the emirate. When we talk about customer service, we don’t only aim for their satisfaction but we also seek to delight the end user. Our philosophy is: A person that masters his work and offers an elegant service brings happiness and comfort to the people. We have started applying this concept in our services at the external centers and the electronic gates and the airport. This new ideology in the field of public service spreads happiness and suits the requirements of the modern age and matches the potentials of Dubai, The emirate is not only looking forward to be recognized globally, but also aspires to be a hub that captures the attention of the whole world. |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 11

Interview Exclusive

Right training crucial for smart and efficient services: Al Khanbooli GDRFA sees 37 percent average annual increase in the number of trainees T here has been a 37 percent average

annual increase in the number of trainees at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA-Dubai) between 2010 and 2013, revealed Major Yasser Rashid Al Khanbooli, Director of Training and Performance Development Department at the GDRFA-Dubai. Al Khanbooli discusses various measures and policies being pursued by the GDRFA to make the country and its people more secure and prosperous in an exclusive interview with Manafez Dubai.

Where does the training and performance development lie on the GDRFA's map of priorities?

The training and performance development has remained on top of the GDRFA's priorities. This is based on the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who always puts human development above any other thing and considers it a key factor in the country's growth. The GDRFA is committed to execute the vision of Dubai government, which considers human resources as a cornerstone to the sustainable development. The Dubai government, therefore, emphasizes on

12 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ |

education, training and rehabilitation to upgrade the quality of service delivery and attain the highest possible level of customer satisfaction. The GDRFA leads the government departments that are committed to prepare their human resources to face all kind of challenges and hurdles through strategic planning, technological advancements and societal transformations.

We believe that any company or a government body that doesn’t enhance its human resources won’t be able to grow, develop and withstand the competition as the experience and capabilities of its employees could not be fully utilized through mere traditional approach. They should be introduced to the latest trends

and the best practices. For several reasons, the role of training departments throughout the world has become more crucial. The key factor is the fast-changing Information Technology, which has revolutionized the public aspirations and raised the expectations when it comes to quality of services. However, investing in the technology alone won't help unless the human resources are trained to use it efficiently for the betterment of the general public.

What impact does the Smart government initiative have on your training plans?

The Smart Government initiative, which was launched by His Highness

Exclusive

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has drastically changed the approach of the government departments, particularly the ones that deal in public services. At present, we are coordinating with the Smart services sector to prepare electronic training projects.

Smart services require different abilities and skills from the employees. Preparing and rehabilitating the workforce will focus on the required skills for a smooth transformation. The training plans will concentrate on developing the technological skills across various sectors.

They need to be specifically trained on the electronic services, communication skills development, languages, strategic thinking, ability to solve problems and dealing with social media.

What are the current training priorities?

The GDRFA is focusing on three priorities. The first one is the security skills development. As we are part of the Ministry of Interior, we need to develop a security sense among the staff members and develop the preventive security skills and also the ability to uncover and detect forgeries and counterfeit operations. The second involves developing the customer services. As we are a service provider and cater to different categories of customers, we always seek to excel the level of services provided to the public as per the Dubai government’s aspirations. The third and the final is priority developing the work mechanisms.

All the three axes are inter-linked and each one of them affects the other.

As you have assumed your position a couple of months ago, what are your plans for the Training and Performance Development Department?

I took the responsibility of managing the Training and Performance Development Department at the end of 2013, which is now more than six months. At that time,

GDRFA-Dubai also trains the immigration and residency officers of other Gulf countries the department was a small section.

However, with the increase of demand for training in December 2013, it was decided to transform this section into a department in order to help it serve better to the training needs.

We haven’t increased the number of the employees in the department that includes three sections: the training section, performance development section and the section for student’s affairs.

However, we have restructured the department to organize it according to the logical sequence of the training process.

Four new branches have been introduced in the training section. The first branch handles the specification process of the training requirements. The second one takes the responsibility of analyzing the requirements and designing the training programmess. The third unit holds the responsibility of executing the programmes, while the fourth branch does the training evaluation. Thus, the trainings are conducted in accordance to the right scientific way for the first time.

In line with the desire of the higher management of the Training and Performance Development Department to make it a methodological wing, which should be capable of providing A to Z in the training in a right scientific way, we have struck an agreement with one of the specialized companies. The move aims to develop the training systems that we have and to enhance the abilities of the employees at the department, as well as to improve their skills in the fields of preparing, executing, assessing the training plans and measure their performance accurately and scientifically.

The agreement also aimed at identifying

Interview

the best means to direct the investment in training budget to maximize the benefit from it.

What is the significance of training evaluation process?

It is one of the most important phases of various training stages. The participant completes four stages before facing the training evaluation process. This is done just to check if the trainee is able to apply the skills he or she acquired during the drill to follow work procedures, minimize mistakes, increase customer satisfaction ratio, boost career satisfaction and manage financial resources well. We are still working to refine the training evaluation process to make it a stronger performance measurement indicator.

How training programmes that suit the needs of all the employees at the department are chosen?

There are 4,000 employees at the department. They are divided across the positions of leadership, supervision, execution and support services. There is no doubt that the designing of training programs that suit the work nature and the needs of each category is not an easy task. In order to overcome this challenge, we have laid a clear methodology that takes into consideration the trends of the higher management and the training needs of an employee as well as the available statistical indicators and the field surveys. These considerations contribute to the formulation of the training strategy accurately.

According to the latest available statistics, the GDRFA has witnessed an average annual increase in the number of trainees to 37 percent between 2010 and 2013. In 2010, the number of trainees was 1342 only, in 2011 the number increased to 2367 trainees, and 2942 in 2012. In 2013 the number of trainees hit 2837.  |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 13

UAE News

m-Government progressing on track

W ith the mobile government initia-

Android and Apple play stores.

There are currently 103 apps that provide more than 700 services, both federal and local. There are around 1,800 government services available online now.

tive in the UAE completing a year, authorities from the private sector, federal and local entities are working hand-in-hand to make the Smart Government more efficient, according to a report in Gulf News.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the initiative on May 22, 2013, to provide services to people round-the-clock through a single log-in and wherever they are.

“We face challenges from some services and, with the Expo 2020, the project is progressing well despite one more year to go,” said Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri, director-general of UAE m-Government at Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).

He said the next step will be to start some more initiatives in order to generate a smart and inte-

grated sector. “We are working with banks on one side and with the UAE Banks Federation (UBF) on the other, apart from the telecom operators, du and etisalat,” he said. To achieve the m-Government vision, there has been a lot of cooperation between federal, public and private entities, said Hessa Eisa Bu Humaid, executive director of government services sector at the Prime Minister’s Office. The apps are available on

The Dubai government had disclosed earlier that 38.1 per cent of its services were now being accessed through the online channel.

The ePay portal in 2013 recorded transactions worth Dh5.6 billion, registering a growth of 27 per cent compared with 2012, while the mPay mobile application registered a 265 per cent increase in transactions in 2013 to Dh31.8 million compared to Dh8.7 million in 2012.

The app combines payments from Dubai Police, RTA, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, and etisalat, as well as donations towards Dubai Cares and Al Jalila Foundation. Right now the apps are only in Arabic and English and later they will be available in other languages. 

New biometric rule in UAE for Saudi visa A

pplicants for visas to Saudi Arabia, including Haj and Umrah pilgrims, who apply from the UAE must now also have their fingerprints and picture taken in addition to regular requirements. The new biometric enrolment part of the visa application costs AED17 and is said to speed up entry formalities to the kingdom.

However, those exempt from the biometrics rule include applicants aged below 12 or above 70, diplomatic visa applicants, and those who cannot complete the process for a medical reason.

14 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ |

The UAE is the sixth country where the biometric rule has been introduced and more countries will join the list in a phased roll-out. Both the fingerprint and picture capture will take a total of three to five minutes. Applicants must visit one of three VFS Tasheel visa service centres in the UAE — in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Sharjah — which handle Saudi visa applications. VFS Tasheel is authorized by the Saudi foreign affairs ministry to manage the Saudi visa application process in more than 30 countries. 

UAE News

Foreign investment in UAE rises to $10.5 billion

F oreign

direct investment (FDI) flows into the Arabian Gulf countries weakened in 2013 although the UAE reported a bumpy recovery to become the second biggest recipient in the West Asia, according to an UN study.

Overall, FDI into West Asia decreased by nine percent to $44 billion, failing to recover for the fifth consecutive year from the fall registered in 2009, UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2014 revealed.

While in countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, FDI flows continue to follow a downward trend, in others like Turkey and the UAE, FDI recovery was weak or bumpy with flows remaining well below their pre-crisis level. Only in Iraq and Kuwait have

FDI flows been on an upward trend in recent years, reaching record levels in 2013 and 2012, the report said.

FDI flows to the UAE continued their recovery, positioning this country as the second FDI recipient in the re-

gion after Turkey. They increased by nine percent to $10.5 billion, albeit well below their level in 2007. This FDI recovery went with the economy rebounding from the 2009 debt crisis, driven by oil and non-oil activities, the report said. 

Dubai to have half of 28,000 UAE hotel rooms supply by 2016 than 28,000 hotels rooms will M ore come online by 2016 in the UAE with half of them to be built in Dubai – thanks to the Expo 2020, according to a latest study.

of 2013. International operators hold about 68 per cent of the total hotel room inventory and the majority of the supply is concentrated in the up-

scale 4-and 5-star segment. Dubai and Abu Dhabi account for 68 per cent of the hotel supply in the UAE, according to a report in Emirates 24/7. 

“With Dubai winning its bid to host the Expo 2020 event, the hospitality sector should be a major beneficiary, with up to 25 million visitors expected during the 6-month period,” JLL analysts said in the report. According to it, around 31 per cent, or 8,700 rooms, of the new hotel room supply will come online in Abu Dhabi.

The UAE houses 590 hotels totaling more than 93,000 rooms at the end |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 15

UAE News

Dubai Police arrested 180 suspects for financial fraud M oney-doubling fraud by ‘sorcery’,

credit card fraud, circulation of counterfeit money and forged cheques were among 113 cases of financial fraud unearthed by Dubai Police in the in the first five months of the year. These scams involved AED609 million, according to a report by Dubai Police’s Anti-Economic Crime Department.

said Colonel Abdullah Rashid, Director of the Anti-Economic Crime Department at the CID. Crimes that involved commercial fraud, piracy and stealing intellectual property amounted to over AED8.4 million, the report said.

Cases involving fraud and swindling amounted to over AED32.4 million, the report said.

The police arrested 180 criminals that were involved in these crimes,

Major General Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant to Dubai

16 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ |

Police Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs, said that Dubai Police puts great efforts into the fight against economic crimes and works. “There is a decrease in the number of economic crimes in general,” he said. However, he pointed out that the decrease is because criminals now commit their economic crimes on the computer and through the internet, which is considered cyber-crime and is handled by another department.” 

UAE News

Dubai airport in drive to stop ivory trade A uthorities

at Dubai International Airport seized 1,500 ivory products and tusks in the last three years.

These numbers were revealed at a press conference held to announce a 20-day campaign to build passenger awareness about the illegality of carrying and smuggling ivory.

The campaign, which started on June 1, aims to reach at least a million passengers from the millions that transit through Dubai Airport every year. It is organized by Dubai Police, Dubai Airports Authority, the Ministry of Environment and Water and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).The illegal g lobal trade of wildlife and animal parts — valued at $19 billion annually — is considered the fourth largest illegal trade in the world. Brigadier Ali Atiq Bin Lahej, Director of the General Department of Airport Security at Dubai Police, said that the UAE is not a destination country for ivory trade, but its central location on the world map makes it a transit hub.

He explained that there has been a noticeable increase in the amounts of smuggled ivory.

One kg of ivory is worth $1,500 in the black market, Brig Bin Lahej said, adding that Dubai airport is equipped with the latest technology to detect any illegal items, including ivory. According to the UAE law, ivory smugglers or anyone caught

smuggling endangered animals or any of their parts face fines up to AED50,000 or a jail term that can reach up to six months or what the judge orders depending on the case.

The campaign will consist of public service announcements that will be displayed on screens at Dubai Airports’ Terminal 1 or 3, which will be in English, Arabic and Chinese.

Dubai Police can help UAE-based companies secure their websites P

rotecting online accounts is a dual responsibility as it is both the responsibility of the company and the users, a Dubai Police official said. “If a company does not know how to secure their website, we help them,” Lieutenant Colonel Saeed Al Hajiri, Director of the Cyber Investigation Department at Dubai Police, said.

He said that the department can provide assistance to start-up companies or UAE-based companies and help them provide an effective security system for their users, whether it’s securing online transactions or providing secure services online.

“We help protect people from fraud and abuse by people on the internet” he said.

He explained that if someone wants to get information, even from secure accounts, as long as it is available on the internet they can find a way to get around those security measures, so people should be very careful.

People should also be careful about where they access their online bank accounts from. Lt Col Al Hajiri said: “One should not access their online bank accounts from public computers, such as from internet cafes.” 

|Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 17

Middle East News

Cyber security market in ME to be worth $25 billion C yber security market is growing 10

per cent year-on-year globally and estimated to be $66 billion while the Middle East’s market size is expected to cross $25 billion mark in the next decade. Cybercrime appears to be the second most common form of economic crime in the Middle East.

A study by Cisco’s Middle East ICT Security Study 2014 noted strong adoption of smart devices in the MENA region, which is set to grow from 133 million in 2014 to 598 million in 2018.

Increase in digital applications and Internet adoption also means more complex security threats. The Middle East Businesses are at high risk;

with more than 65% of employees glossing over or undermining the security risks of using personal devices in the workplace, noted the Cisco’s study. An approximate

ME named world's fastest growing region for hotels

S audi Arabia and the UAE are leading a construction boom

amount lost due to cybercrime in the Middle East may vary between USD 1 million and USD 100 million annually, said the PwC 2014 Global Economic Crime Survey. 

GCC visitors not exempt from UAE traffic fines

in the Middle East for hotel rooms under contract, according to new data from STR Global. The Middle East overall is the fastest growing region in the world, with 99,199 rooms under contract in the region. Existing room supply is expected to grow by 40 percent, it said.

According to the latest figures, the UAE and Saudi Arabia combined make up 68 percent of the existing room supply in the Middle East, where STR Global tracks 13 countries.

The two countries also account for 70 percent of rooms in the region’s pipeline, it reported.

Despite the 12-month moving average supply growth rate of the UAE (up 8.2 percent), Saudi Arabia has a stronger pipeline in terms of rooms under contract, STR Global said. The amount of rooms under contract in Saudi Arabia (35,587 rooms) is slightly more than the total in the UAE (34,226 rooms). This would lead to a 60 percent supply growth in Saudi Arabia and a 32 percent supply growth in the UAE. 

18 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ |

D ubai Police has denied reports that appeared in Arabic media that GCC nationals are exempt from fines for nondangerous traffic law violations while visiting the emirate. In a statement to the press, Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazina, Commander in Chief of Dubai Police, said the person who said this to an Arabic daily is not authorized to speak on behalf of the traffic police. He said the General Command of Dubai Police alone is authorized to issue statements to the media about concessions for violators of traffic rules. He stressed that the UAE’s Federal Traffic Law does not exclude any one. 

Middle East News

Middle East private wealth exceeds $5 trillion S trong nominal GDP growth in oil rich

Arabian Gulf countries were among the factors driving up private wealth, according to a Boston Consulting Group report. Private wealth in the Middle East and Africa soared 11.6 per cent reaching $5.2 trillion in 2013.

Key drivers for this increase included continued strong nominal GDP growth in oil rich Gulf countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait whose private wealth grew 12.8 per cent, 13.4 per cent and 13.6 per cent respectively.

BCG found that the number of millionaire households worldwide increased from 13.7 million in 2012 to 16.3 million in 2013.Millionaire households also increased in emerging markets, despite a five per cent decline in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, which likely affected invested assets. 

Gulf hospitality job vacancies tripled T he number of job vacancies in the

Gulf’s hospitality sector more than tripled between 2009 and 2013; according to recruitment specialist. A report published by Catererglobal.

com suggests that the number of vacancies rose from 18,000 in 2009 to 61,000 in 2013. Since 2012, meanwhile, job vacancies have increased by 25 per cent. The com-

pany used data from 150,000 active candidates seeking jobs and also reported that HR managers are struggling to find the right candidates for many of the positions.

The report covers Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. The report also suggested a significant rise in applications for vacancies, across most parts of the sector, but particularly in management posts.

And, while the number of management posts has remained relatively steady, the number of non-management posts increased by 32 per cent during the second half of 2013, particularly in front office and housekeeping vacancies.  |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 19

International News

Australian borders go digital A ustralia's digital landscape is moving

beyond its borders as the Federal Government announced a goal to broaden the use of ePassports and biometric identification. Speaking in Sydney at the Biometrics Institute Asia Pacific Conference, Federal Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison said passport technology has come a long way in less than ten years.

Australia first started using biometrics to manage immigration integrity in 2005. By October 2015, most Australian passports will be ePassports, containing a chip that has a digital photograph and key data elements in an encrypted format. ePassports have provided an extra dimension of integrity checking to border, security and immigration agencies and airlines across the

globe. At all eight of Australia's major international airports, these ePassports have begun working hand-in-hand with SmartGates -border control points

Smart App allow travelers prevent US Tourism Visa

people would argue that if M any there were one area that lagged

far behind the rest of the travel industry it would be the process of getting a visa, especially when it comes to traveling to America.

Until now, thanks to SimpleVisa and their brand new iOS app SimpleVisa USA. SimpleVisa USA allows travelers from participating countries to retrieve or prepare new visa waivers to visit America quickly and efficiently. Clearly an idea who's time has come.

Being able to carry an electronic visa on an 20 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ |

app in a traveler's pocket removes many, if not most, of the potential headaches that can come with a trip to the USA. The app allows travelers to take care of their visa waivers while removing the needs to fill any online form, and seamlessly integrates with governments platforms to work together for their common benefit, speed and security. The company anticipates wide use of the app as knowledge of its availability grows.

To download it, visit http://get.simplevisa. com/usa. 

that use the photographs and personal data encrypted on the ePassport chip to quickly identify people entering the country. 

US reviews potentially fraudulent passports

N early 13,500 passports were issued by

the US Department of State to individuals who used the Social Security Number (SSN), but not the name, of a deceased person. Another 24,278 passports were issued to applicants who used a likely invalid SSN, according to the results of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of a 140case generalizable sample and a 15-case non-generalizable sample for these two populations, respectively. The GAO said it “determined the cases were likely data errors” and that the State Department “has taken steps to capture correct SSN information more consistently.”

“Fraudulent passports pose a significant risk because they can be used to conceal the true identity of the user and potentially facilitate other crimes. 

International News

New Zealand to reintroduce 10-year validity passport

N ew

Zealand, which switched to five-year passports in 2005, is a step closer to reinstate 10 year passports after a parliamentary committee called on the government to review the current five-year validity period.

Prime Minister John Key and Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne have both said they are open to a review that could include an increase to 10 years. Key said: “When we went to five years, the belief was all countries would go there because of the security risks around 9/11,” Key said. The US and Australia and other countries have stayed at 10 years.

In a response to a petition from Kyle Lockwood, the government administration committee said on the evidence that it heard new biometric passports reduced the risk of

counterfeiting and identity fraud.

The protection was sufficient for the period to be safely extended. “We are not convinced that the reduction in detected fraudulent passports is a result of the shorter validity period,” the committee said.

It said the international standard among countries that used biometric passports, such as Australia, France, Germany, the US and the UK was 10 years.

Chairwoman Ruth Dyson said the select committee, which is split 50:50 between government and Opposition members, was unanimous. 

World’s smallest OEM OCR reader is now even faster

W ith

mobile devices permeating all areas of identity authentication and verification – for both governmental and commercial applications – Access IS has responded with the next generation of its successful and proven OEM OCR engine.

This latest generation of the device has a sensor and embedded coding that operate at lightning speed, allowing extremely quick reads of MRZ data on identity cards and passports (at 42 inches per second / 107centimetres per second) and instant OCR decoding (<0.3 second).The OCR310e

Reading Engine is ultra-compact and lightweight with low-power consumption and is designed for easy integration into third-party portable reading devices. It will be of interest to mobile device and tablet developers targeting both government agencies and commercial organizations.

The field of application for the OCR310e is especially wide and includes: law enforcement, immigration and border control, visa and ID issuance, retail sales, banking and finance, gaming and casinos, hotel registration, airport check-in and queue-busting. 

NSA scouring Web images for facialrecognition

the latest exposure of the US NaI ntional Security Agency based on documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the New York Times reported that the agency collects images of hundreds of millions of people by intercepting global telecommunications and Internet traffic.

This data is used as part of an enormous program using facial recognition technology to identify individuals of interest to the US intelligence services. The images captured by the NSA include those embedded in e-mails, text messages, videoconferences and other forms of Internet messaging and telecommunications.  |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 21

New Technology

Fighting Identity fraud with Data Mining E ach transaction made with an electronic identity document leaves

an electronic trace. The purpose of Data Mining tools is to monitor these traces.

Identity fraud is a serious and growing problem in different part of the world.

In the US and Europe, Identity Theft is one of the fastest-growing, most expensive criminal enterprises.

Identity theft is when your personal details are stolen and identity fraud is when those details are used to commit fraud. A stolen identity is a powerful cloak of anonymity for criminals and terrorists…and a danger to national security and private citizens alike.

Identity theft occurs when someone wrongfully obtains another's personal information without their knowledge to commit theft or fraud. Identity theft is committed many different ways. The forgery and use of fraudulent identity documents are national security issues.

Lack of reliable means to identify individuals paved the way to terrorist attacks, since September 11, 2001.

According to a latest study by Francebased SAFRAN Morpho, technical solutions and good practices are essential to fight the enablers of Identity Fraud; the forgery and use of fraudulent identity documents.

For governments and citizens, Identity Fraud is more than a security issue: it is a financial burden; it threatens the trust of the citizens and of other nations in security and democracy, and it causes severe psychological damages to the victims of fraud. In some cases, the best known security solutions are not

22 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ |

sufficient to fight fraud efficiently. The report said the potential saving, and return on investment in efficient solutions to fight fraud are significant: in fact, in 2009, the European Healthcare Fraud and Corruption Network evaluated that healthcare fraud costs 180 billion euros globally and in 2006, the cost of identity fraud in the US was valued at 15.6 billion by the US Federal Trade Commission.

The report said it is the whole process of document issuance and utilization which has to be secure, beyond the document itself. The purpose of Data Mining tools is to have a fine-grained,

adaptable understanding of the personal data of the people and of the activity logs of the document issuance system.

It said Data Mining enables a holistic view on the data related to one citizen, from the enrollment step to teach transaction made with the identity documents. In fact, each transaction made with an electronic identity document leaves an electronic trace, when the document is used for verification at a border check point, or to sign an electronic document on an e-government site for example. Those traces are usually stored for traceability purposes, but not analyzed. The purpose of Data Mining

New

tools is to monitor these traces to help detect fraud. A Data Mining solution should rely on sophisticated mathematic algorithms to analyze data coming from different sources.

Technology

ECEC endorses bottled liquid scanner

External database such civil registries, database of stolen or fraudulent documents, of convicted criminals, database with geographic or sociologic profiles of convicted fraudsters can be used to improve the accuracy of the analysis, the report said. It recommended guidelines for a comprehensive fraud-proof process. An efficient electronic document personalization process if made of the following building bricks: * A prime integrator mastering an endto-end document issuance solution, with a significant experience in securing personalization processes “from scratch”: from the design of the solution to the operation of the enrollments and personization. * Strict security policies and site governance relying on lessons learnt from major governmental programmes * Electronic identity documents secured by state of the art cryptographic features and security features. Biometrics is essential in ensuring that each document issued is unique and can be linked to a unique individual in the population * Innovative security solutions, enabling to proactively detect new and unsuspected fraudulent patterns in the issuance and utilization of electronic identity documents. Those tools enable to turn seemingly incoherent heaps of data produced by IT systems into power means to classify and score the risk of fraud, for any request to issue a document and any transaction originated by the bearer of an electronic identity document. 

T he US-based One Resonance Sen-

sors (ORS) has announced it has received accreditation from the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) for its MobiLab BLS bottled liquid scanner, which uses nuclear magnetic resonance technology to provide safe and fast detection of liquid explosives and precursors. The endorsement by the ECAC allows MobiLab BLS to be used at airport security checkpoints in the region.

"Our technology provides a compact, powerful, and cost-effective option for security checkpoints worldwide," said Dr. Pablo Prado, Co-founder and CEO of ORS. "With this endorsement, we are moving forward with our strategies for market adoption across Europe, the Middle East and Asia." The ECAC's accreditation of the Mobi-

Lab BLS comes as the region's air travel is increasing, and one in eight leisure travelers cite restrictions on liquids as the most frustrating part of screening, as highlight in a study

by International Air Transport Association (IATA in 2012.

The MobiLab BLS quickly and reliably screens liquids to meet security needs, simplify the inspection process and improve passenger convenience. The technology allows rapid, fully automated inspection with minimal or no disruption to passengers, high-performance detection of liquid explosives, precursors, and other hazardous liquids in seconds, inspection of full or partially full bottles of all colors including black and opaque and it is effective with all glass, plastic, ceramic or paper-wrapped containers. 

|Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 23

Special Study

Family is top factor in success of costly job transfers

A special study by the US-based Cartus Corporation has offered insights into the factors which plays an important role in professionals from across a broad spectrum of industries deciding on relocation for business purposes and career advancement.

Data from the Global Relocation Trends Survey 2014 highlights that “inability of the family to adjust” is narrowly the second most-cited reason for assignment failure (61 percent), at just two percentage points behind the top reason, “changing business conditions”.

The dataset, which is based on the experiences of 172 international mobility managers, who each manage an average 581 moves annually, also identifies the important role of the family even before a move takes place: 76 per cent of respondents rated “family or personal

circumstances” as the key reason employees decline relocation assignments.

Matt Spinolo, Executive Vice President of Cartus, said: "Increasingly, a family's happiness and ability to adjust are nearly as important to the success of a job relocation as the employee's own job performance.” The number of companies reporting they "always allow family members to accompany assignees on long-term assignments" declining 14 percentage-points in two years. Spinola said: "The rise in split families is a trend

we are hearing more and more about as companies reel in costs and move employees to new locations that can pose challenges in terms of infrastructure or security." Remarked William Sheridan, President of the US National Foreign Trade Council, one of the sponsors of the study: "As multinational corporations increase their assignments to challenging locations in areas such as Africa, China, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Indian Sub-Continent, we see more unaccompanied assignees or those who do not have young dependents, due to the lack of social amenities available there.”

Further trends identified in the study are that the top three mobility challenges by organizations in the study are cost control (75 per cent), overall compliance (up 12 percentage points on 2012 to 62 per cent) and immigration (up 13 percentage points to 57 per cent).

It also noted that, in a change from previous surveys, the majority of transferees are now in the 40 plus age group, “supplanting a younger population that was more prominent in 2010,” according to Cartus’ data. Companies are also aware of the importance of grooming and retaining top talent, with 79 per cent of respondents expecting the fastestgrowing assignment type over the next two years to be "developmental.” 

24 |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ |

Special

Study

LinkedIn study reveals what it takes to work around the world

O nline career advancement and networking site LinkedIn has a unique view into

how 300 million professionals are moving around the world to pursue career opportunities. This mobility of professional talent can tell us a great deal about the state of economic opportunity and the health of the global economy. To get a big picture view of talent mobility, LinkedIn analyzed its data to see which countries gained and lost the most talent between November 2012 and November 2013, and what characteristics are shared by those who relocate for their careers.

It measured net inflow and outflow of LinkedIn members for 20 countries where we saw the most migration activity to see which were the overall winners and losers of talent in 2013.

As a percentage of the total country workforce, the UAE saw the most talent coming into the country with the majority of members coming from India. Spain, which has been facing tough economic conditions, saw the most talent leaving the country, with the majority of members leaving for the UK. The UAE saw a strong inflow of professionals at 1.3 per cent net gain particularly among architecture and engineering roles. This might reflect the region’s fast development and the increasingly busy skyline. It noticed that the vast majority of members who moved to the UAE (75 per cent) came from outside of the Middle East. Additionally, it saw that many members were promoted as part of their move, with 40 per cent of members indicating a seniority of “manager” or higher in the title of their new position.

Spain has the largest net loss of 0.3 per cent, most likely as a result of the economic challenges in recent years. Proximity to their home country appears to be an important driving factor with 60%

of professionals who left Spain remaining within Europe. However, Spanishspeaking countries in Latin America are also a popular destination for Spanish professionals representing about 20 per cent of those who moved.

Germany has achieved a net gain of 0.4 per cent showing it is one of Europe’s strongest and most resilient economies.

Our analysis indicates that over 60 per cent of members moving to Germany in the past year came from another European country. Germany has attracted a strong inflow of technical talent from around Europe. The majority of them are in engineering and research functions, working in the automotive and software industries.

One out of three LinkedIn members who made a move of 100 miles or more in the last year relocated internationally. This varied drastically due to country size and proximity to neighboring economic centers. For example, Switzerland, a small landlocked country, saw the greatest percentage of movers leave the country at 69 per cent.

The top destinations for Swiss movers were Germany and France. It appeared younger professionals are more likely to work internationally. Members who made a significant move in the past year had an average of 7.8 years of professional experience, but those who made shorter moves had 20 per cent more professional experience compared to the significant movers.  |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 25

In Focus

Cybercrime results in significant impact on economies C ybercrime is not strictly speaking a technology problem. It is a strategy

problem, a human problem and a process problem. After all, organizations are not being attacked by computers, but by people attempting to exploit human frailty as much as technical vulnerability. The Dubai government has established a Cyber Security Centre to increase the efficiency of ways of protecting and exchanging information among the government bodies.

Manafez Dubai takes a look at the global cybercrime scene.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered the establishment of a cyber security centre in Dubai to protect government information systems and the telecom network.

The centre has been tasked with drawing up and implementing Dubai’s policy for government information security, and setting criteria to ensure cyber security.

It will also prepare a strategic plan to deal with any threats and cyber-attacks on government information in cooperation with government bodies. The centre will be responsible for combating all forms of cyber crimes in coordination with government, regional and international authorities.

A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) shows the significant impact that cybercrime has on economies worldwide. The report concludes that cybercrime costs businesses approximately

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$400 billion worldwide, with an impact on approximately 200000 jobs in the US and 150000 jobs in the EU. Cybercrime damages trade, competitiveness, innovation, and global economic growth. Studies estimate that the Internet economy annually generates between $2 trillion and $3 trillion, a share of the global economy that is expected to grow rapidly.

Based on CSIS estimates, cybercrime extracts between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of the value created by the Internet. The report found that global losses connected to “personal information” breaches could reach $160 billion. Forty million people in the U.S., roughly 15 percent of the population, have had their personal information stolen by hackers.

It noted that governments are beginning serious, systematic efforts to collect and publish data on cybercrime to help countries and companies make better choices about risk and policy.

Improved international collaboration, as well as public/private partnerships are also beginning to show tangible results in terms of reducing cybercrime.

Cybercrime’s effect on intellectual property (IP) is particularly damaging, and countries where IP creation and IP-intensive industries are important for wealth creation lose more in trade, jobs and income from cybercrime than countries depending more on agriculture or industries of low-level manufacturing, the report found. Accordingly, highincome countries lost more as a percent of GDP than low-income countries – perhaps as much as 0.9 percent on average.

“Cybercrime is a tax on innovation and slows the pace of global innovation by reducing the rate of return to innovators and investors,” said Jim Lewis of CSIS. “For developed countries, cybercrime has serious implications for employment. The effect of cybercrime is to shift employment away from jobs that create the most value. Even small

In

changes in GDP can affect employment.”

Economic impact on businesses and consumers CSIS researchers found that the US notified 3,000 companies in 2013 that they had been hacked, with retailers leading as a favorite target for hackers. In the U.K., retailers reportedly lost more than $850 million to hackers. Australian officials reported that large scale attacks have occurred against an airline, hotel chains and financial services companies, costing an estimated $100 million. With proper protections in place, these losses could be avoided.

The report found that global losses connected to “personal information” breaches could reach $160 billion.

Forty million people in the U.S., roughly 15 percent of the population, have had their personal information stolen by hackers. The study tracked high-profile breaches around the world: 54 million in Turkey; 20 million in Korea; 16 million in Germany and more than 20 million in China.

Part of the losses from cybercrime are directly connected to what experts call “recovery costs,” or the digital and electronic clean-up that must occur after an attack has taken place.

The McAfee-CSIS report discovered that while criminals will not be able to monetize all the information they steal, their victims must spend significant resources as if they could.

Turning from losses to potential economic gains Governments are beginning serious, systematic efforts to collect and publish data on cybercrime to help

Focus

countries and companies make better choices about risk and policy. Improved international collaboration, as well as public/private partnerships are also beginning to show tangible results in terms of reducing cybercrime.

“It’s clear that there’s a real tangible economic impact associated with stopping cybercrime,” said Scott Montgomery, chief technology officer, public sector at McAfee. “Over the years, cybercrime has become a growth industry, but that can be changed, with greater collaboration between nations, and improved public private partnerships. The technology exists to keep financial information and intellectual property safe, and when we do so, we create opportunities for positive economic growth and job creation worldwide.”

McAfee, owned by Intel Corp, said improved international collaboration was beginning to show results in reducing cyber crime, for example in the takedown last week of a crime ring that infected hundreds of thousands of computers known by the name of its master software, Gameover Zeus.

How big of a threat is cybercrime becoming for businesses?

According to a recent PwC study, it’s a big one. About 77 per cent of companies surveyed experienced a Security Event- If it seems like you’re always hearing about the latest breach, that may be due to the increasing occurrence of these events. Last year three out of four organizations surveyed experienced some type of security event, like a data breach. 135 is the Average Number of Detected Security Intrusions per OrganizationSecurity intrusions aren’t isolated incidents.  |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 27

opinion column

Valuing Citizenship particularly how to acquire it, is a C itizenship, deeply sensitive issue for the European Union, and Member-States hold dear their sovereign right to determine who should become a national. Whether, and how, a non-national is allowed to join the national club has also been much debated within national polities.

However, there has been strong resistance

by Member-States towards any discussion of citizenship acquisition at the EU level, despite some outré national policy changes in recent years.

By Elizabeth Collett Director Migration Policy InstituteEurope

Citizenship policies vary widely across the European Union. While some Member States set high barriers to acquisition, others have more relaxed approaches. Across Europe, waiting times vary from three to ten years, and some, but by no means all, countries test would-be citizens on their language and civic knowledge. These policies can be paradoxical, and are deeply political. In Italy, a resident immigrant must wait a decade before being able to apply for citizenship. However, descendants of Italian emigrants, with few or no ties, can apply for citizenship without ever needing to set foot in the country. This dichotomy reflects a strong mistrust of immigration to Italy, at odds with the country’s proud history of emigration.

At the EU level, citizenship is mostly relevant only as far as it offers a right of free movement and residence across Europe, and EU law is clear that Member-States are free to make their own rules as to who is eligible. In 2011, a new Hungarian citizenship law stated that any ethnic Hungarians (descendants of Hungarians who were citizens before 1920), may apply for citizenship, in effect offering citizenship to large numbers of neighboring state populations, including Moldova, Ukraine, Serbia, Slovakia, and Romania. The new rules reflected the nationalist approach of the ruling government.

A recent decision by Malta’s government to sell 1,800 passports (initially for 650,000 euros

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and later upped to 1.15 million euros in cash and investments) has caused unusual levels of furor in the tiny country, a resolution in the European Parliament, and a move by European Commissioner Viviane Reding to seek legal advice to about her powers to prevent the programme.

Indeed, a plethora of investor visa programmes exist in Europe, which offer permanent residence to those willing to deposit large sums of money into property or government bonds, or even a simple bank account. In Latvia, for example, permanent residence could be obtained in 2013 through the purchase of (rural) property to the value of just 72,000 euros.

But why has the direct valuation of citizenship and its benefits become so repulsive to other policymakers? The number of places on offer is negligible, and will not affect free movement flows to any great degree. Presumably, individuals capable of buying their citizenship will not be accessing welfare systems in Malta or elsewhere, and security and criminal checks have been put in place to keep out undesirables.

And arguably, the ease with which distant descendants of European emigrés can access citizenship is equally distasteful: allowing those with no links, no term of residence, and no language knowledge to acquire citizenship just as easily, and more cheaply.

The mere fact of placing a price on citizenship can paradoxically devalue it. Investor visas— though requiring money—are intended to draw new residents in, with the hope that they will contribute to the future growth of the country.

In the US, Canada, Australia and the UK, consideration has been given to the type of investment, and the multiplier effects of that investment on the local community and national well-being. But citizenship sales require nothing of the recipient beyond cash, whilst offering the most precious thing a country has to give, its identity. An uneven bargain. 

opinion column

Smart border is not just about immigration control A s the UK general election looms in 2015, the

main political parties continue to argue their case as to how they will control immigration in the next term, if elected.

The coalition government took a blow in February 2014, when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) produced its latest quarterly report. This estimated a net flow of 212,000 new long term migrants into the UK in the year ending September 2013 - a statistically significant increase from 154,000 the previous year. This against a backdrop of a “promise” by the current government to reduce net migration to below 100,000 a year.

Actually, Immigration from outside the EU where the UK government does actually have some control - dropped by 25,000. The truth of the net increase was due to larger numbers of EU citizens coming to work in the UK. Under the European Treaties EU citizens are allowed “free movement” to work in other EU countries. Obviously many EU citizens feel their employment prospects are better in the UK than elsewhere in the EU right now, so they have chosen to move here. These figures do not take account of the changes in January 2014 when Bulgaria and Romania achieved full accession rights. The impact of those changes is not likely to become apparent until the summer of 2014 - when the elections will be even closer. If numbers continue to rise then the more extreme parties seeking independence from Europe will continue to gain ground - and the real messages about how we might improve our border controls will be lost in the political mire.

The UK is one of only six countries that still has a “border control” with neighboring EU countries. Four of those (Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Cyprus) are legally obliged to remove their internal frontiers - leaving just the UK and Ireland retaining the opt out to the Schengen Agreement. In other words, the UK and Ireland will be the only two countries in the EU with the reserved right to refuse entry

to non-EU nationals at their Internal Frontier. It must follow- therefore - that the UK has “kept control of its borders” when nearly all of its neighbors have lost control of theirs.

The big question for Europe of course is how it intends to control its “External Border”. This challenge has haunted the pro-European lobby for years now, and continues to do so. We await with interest the detail of the EU Smart Borders Programme, which advocates a Registered Traveller Programme (RTP) and an entry / exit system for the EU. We are very well placed to introduce “exit checks” on all routes out of the UK - so we know who is leaving the country and when. This was a commitment in the coalition agreement in 2010, but it has failed to materialize not least because the eborders programme failed and there has been no significant investment in border technology since then.

By Tony Smith Former Director Director UK Border Control

Secondly the coalition erred by ditching the national identity card programme. By locking people into one identity - backed by a unique biometric identifier - the government would be able to crack down upon benefit and tax fraud perpetrated by individuals claiming benefits in different identities. By combining the two, the government would be able to tell when somebody is still claiming benefits after leaving the country. It would be able to clamp down on revenue fraud. It would be able to identify over stayers and prevent them from returning.

It would be able to identify more criminals, terrorists, human traffickers and smugglers than ever before.

The technology is available to do this. Biometric identifiers are routinely available and accessible.

Other parties such as transportation companies and security screeners could scan passports and transmit bulk passenger data to the government.

Data centres are available to cross match personal data across government departments to identify fraud and verify entitlement.  |Manafez Dubai |July ٢٠١٤ | 29