UAE Government Launches Official Instagram Account

The UAE government has launched its official account on picture sharing app Instagram, as part of its move towards becoming an ‘m’-government.

The new account, @UAEGOV, aims to introduce and share federal government activities with the public and includes a library of exclusive photos of officials and behind-the-scenes work in government entities, official news agency WAM reported.

It will also feature on-the-spot information regarding meetings of the cabinet and the Ministerial Cabinet for Services, a documented historic archive of the cabinet and interactive questions about the UAE.

The move “reflects the leadership’s growing interest in employing latest technologies to engage with various segments of the community,” the report stated.

The opening of the Instagram account follows the launch of the UAE government’s YouTube channel in June this year by the country’s VP and PM and Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The channel is an official and exclusive source of news related to the federal government’s activities.

Launching it, Sheikh Mohammed said: “We want to take our services to people before they come to us. We want to shorten distances and save time in regards to the needs of nationals and expatriates, on the one hand, and what we offer them, on the other.”

The UAE government is rapidly moving towards becoming a ‘smart’ and ‘mobile’ government, with plans to offer all services through smartphones within the next few years.