United Nations Public Service Awards Case Studies

The abreast of the accelerating developments in all the surrounding fields, change is necessary. Ways to offer services to the public have changed. The ways of issuing important document were complex; involve delay; and routine. The situation before Civil Status system was as following:

1- Different locations to issue different documents and citizens and residents have to visit many organizations to get their required documents: Royal Oman Police issues ID card, Ministry of Manpower issues Labor card, Ministry of health issues Birth and Death certificates and Ministry of Justice issued and register Marriage and divorce .
2- Before the civil Status System, the residents without jobs did not have any thing to indicate their identity, while those working for the private sector got a labor card from the Ministry of Manpower. Other government bodies issued their own labor cards.

3- The capacity of the waiting halls in some organizations were not enough for large number of applicants. There were no queuing systems to control the queue of applicants.

4- Most of the work was handled manually. This in the most of the time leads to inaccurate data of the customers.

5- Confidentiality of the data did not exist as documents were left laying on counters.

6- It was difficult to obtain accurate information about social cases of birth, marriage, divorce and death, As many offices in the Region register the cases and obtaining such information required effort and time.

What is the initiative about? (the solution)
The Civil Status project was launched on 3/1/2004. It is a state-of-the-art system designed to store and retrieve data through the largest database in the Sultanate known as the Civil Register. It includes data on births, deaths, marriages and divorces in the Sultanate. It also includes data on identity cards for Omanis and residence cards for residents. The system links all 12 civil status centers throughout the Sultanate to provide services with absolute confidentiality and accuracy. . Before the civil Status system the beneficiaries were facing complexity; delay; and a long procedures in getting the services. Some services take hours and others days or weeks to be issued. The documents were stored in files, difficult in getting accurate statistics . As a service institution of excellence, the General Directorate of Civil Status has adopted a electronically system which saves both the customers and employees time and effort. The services are given now in one stop shop (Civil Status Centers) This modern approach ensures confidentiality of the data. The process to issue the card has been reduced between 5 - 15 minutes approximately. The number of transaction increased up to 16,278 ID cards per month and 31,747 resident cards monthly. While the birth, death, marriage and divorce entries are up to 48,026 transactions per month. Retrieving information is now fast and easy because the electronic archiving. The electronic ID card works as a multi-application card which could integrate with: a driver’s license, an e-government card with a digital signature for using special official services, and a credit card. There are even more services be in the pipeline , and thus the electronic ID card will become a single key for numerous on-line services. The electronic link with the civil status system through the civil number would help government institutions make transactions easier to have easy access to personal information available in the Civil Register data base. The stakeholders that are linked with the system are: 1- Min of Education 2- Min of Health 3- Min of Manpower 4- Min. of Foreign Affairs 5-Min. of Justice 6- Min. of Civil Services E- gates. E-gates is used at Muscat International Airport for an advanced passenger clearance system that considerably accelerates the movement of traffic through electronic screening of passengers’ data with the help of the electronic smart ID card and Resident card. E- purse Electronic purse is one of the smart ID cards benefits. It provides the card holders with payment products that are faster, easier less expensive and more convenient. Future use of ID card : E-Health and E-Vote.

Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The civil register in the Sultanate of Oman (National Registration System (NRS)) is an integrated computer system designed to store, process and retrieve data when needed. The idea first took root in the early nineties with Ministry of Development( now known as Ministry of National Economy). A working paper on the proposal was presented to the Council of Ministers outlining the ideal of a national civil register to store and retrieve all the particulars of citizens and residents in the sultanate. In 1993, the Council of Ministers issued Decision 22/93 approving the proposal centering on the identity card system. By its very nature it represented the biggest civil database and served as a basis for creating a comprehensive civil register. Thus, with the issuance of the Royal Decree 66/99, the D.G of civil Status was established and entrusted with the civil register. This Civil status System is enabler of e-government application. The electronic link with the civil status system through the civil number would help government institutions make transactions easier. The Civil Number, that each citizen and resident are issued, enables the concerned authorities to have easy access to personal information available in the Civil Register data base. The stakeholders that are linked with the system are: 1- Min of Education 2- Min of Health 3- Min of Manpower 4- Min. of Foreign Affairs 5-Min. of Justice 6- Min. of Civil Services

Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
a. What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
This system is providing high quality services through an electronic system designed to store and retrieve data through the largest database in the country. The main objectives and strategic of the system are: • Ensure an accurate data base about the population of Oman. • Save an authorities’ time and efforts to obtain information through the introduction of a civil number issued for every citizen and resident in Oman. • Provide accurate information about social events as birth, marriage, divorce and death. • Facilitate learning about the demographic distribution countrywide, the rate of the social change and social status trends. • Facilitate study and research procedures for social development and the handling of negative aspects. • Provide easy access to the system by other ministries to enhance the standard of decision-making. Removing the dual centralization to enter the four civil events heretofore mentioned and issues the related certificates in addition to the issuance of ID cards for Omanis and Resident cards for foreigners residing in Oman as well as data accuracy and improvement. • Easy accumulation, storage and retrieval of civil data and keeping confidentiality. The System was established by Royal Oman Police and an agreement to implement the Civil Status Project was signed with an international company (GemPlus).

b. What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
• The website of the D.G. of Civil Status was launched on the Internet in November 2003. • The Civil Status register was launched on 3/1/2004 . • The first Civil Status Centre was opened in Muscat and the new identity card was issued for the first time on 4/1/2004. • The smart forms scheme was launched on the website on 12/1/2004 enabling online application of the Directorate General’s services. • Salalah civil status centre was opened on 25/2/2004. • Sur civil status centre was opened on 11/2/2004. • Sumail civil status centre was opened on 17/2/2004. • Ibri civil status centre was opened on 24/2/2004. • Ibra civil status centre was opened on 2/3/2004. • Nizwa civil status centre was opened on 8/3/2004. • The issue of birth and death certificates began on 3/5/2004. • Issuing of residence cards for public sector employees and their families began on 15/5/2004. • Issuing of residence cards for private sector employees and their families began on 1/6/2004. • Khasab civil status centre started issuing identity cards and residence cards on 10/10/2004. • Hayma civil status centre was opened on 25/12/2004. • Issuing of residence cards for public sector employees and their family members, whose labour cards had expired, began on 1/1/2005. • Al Rustaq civil status centre was opened on 02/07/2005

c. What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
The main obstacles were the difference between Royal Oman Police electronic systems and other government institutions systems (Software, hardware), different work procedures (business process). Moreover, developing a new system accurate, faster and satisfy the objectives is taking time and effort and requires a high qualified programmers and system designers which they are not a available in the country. It is a costly system which requires capacity building for employees, Hardware and Software. Fear of public and beneficiaries resistance. All that Obstacles were overcome through the hard working and effort of Royal Oman Police divisions. The Directorate General of Civil Status attached a great importance to the appointment of skilled personnel for the project. Towards this end, it recruited qualified employees and introduced training programmes consistent with the goals of the project. Moreover, the Directorate of Public Relations was entrusted with task of highlighting the significance of the project in the media for citizens, residents, government institutions and private sector. Many meetings and seminars with the stockholders had bear the benefits and they allied to make the project a success. The government assigned a huge amount of money for the system which was enough to recruit a high qualified computer and programs technicians and build 12 civil status centers linked together. The differences between the government systems were eliminated by designing the good ways to link the Civil status System with some Government offices without changing their systems.

d. What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
Initiating a new and great system costs a lot. All the financials, technical and human resources were mobilized towards achieving the objectives and goals of the system harmonically with good management of resources and the Results is five years of success of the system.

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
Given the vision of the General Directorate of Civil Status to be the national source of civil events that enhances comprehensive development of the Sultanate, and in accordance with its objectives of recording such civil events, the System got all the sustain form all the beneficiaries, government institutions and private sectors. The government sustains the project financially and the Directorate of Public Relations was entrusted with task of highlighting the significance of the project in the media. The Academic institutions provided the project with skilled graduated personnel. The culture of the citizen and residents in Oman were helpful for initiation of the project because now it’s a benefit for them. The Project is good for the economic of the country. It establishes demographic database to provide the concerned authorities with accurate population-related information and help prepare essential statistics about the population and the demographic distribution. Both the government institutions and the private sector would benefit from such a database for their future project planning which would invigorate the economic and developmental activity in the country. Civil Status System is a highly and costly computerized system. It is mainly initiated by a government institution. This system is an enabler of e-government application. The electronic link with the civil status system through the civil number would help government institutions make transactions easier.

What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
The key elements that made the initiative a success are: 1- Setting the clear objectives 2- Setting clear timeline for the projects. 3- Recruiting qualified and specialized employees. 4- Availability of financial resources. 5- Culture of Omani citizens and their support. 6- Good management of resources. 7- Willingness of government sector to integrate and linked together electronically.


Institution Name:		Directorate General of Civil Status- Royal Oman Police
Institution Type:		Government Agency
Contact Person:		Yahya Al Hamimi
Title:		Head of Public Relation Department
Telephone/ Fax:		+ (968)24521951
Institution's / Project's Website:		(968)24521927
E-mail:		yahya.alhamaimi@dgcs.gov.om
Address:		P O Box 871
Postal Code:		111
City:		A’Seeb
State/Province:		Muscat
Country:		Oman

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

Actors and Stakeholders

(a) Strategies

(b) Implementation

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

(d) Use of Resources

Sustainability and Transferability

Lessons Learned

Contact Information