Dubai plans to end the use of paper in government by the year 2021, a senior official said on Sunday. 
Regional business hub Dubai, one of the seven emirates making up the United Arab Emirates, would aim to issue the last printed government document in that year, according to Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
"I believe that the future requires a paper-free governmental working environment that focuses on drawing up plans to achieve the best living standards for people," he said in a press statement.
Younis al-Nasser, an assistant head of the Smart Dubai Office project, said that a central platform dubbed Dubai Pulse had been launched for government data.
"The aim is to provide the right institution with the right data when needed," he said. "It will facilitate the exchange of open and common data between public and private sectors as well as individuals."
The Smart Dubai project already offers some 1,000 government services, and aims to offer 1,129 services by 2021. 
Dubai is seen as the most technologically advanced city in the Arab Gulf region. 
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