Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning e-Participation Policy
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning (MOHUP) seeks to communicate with citizens on a permanent and continuous basis and respond to their inquiries and observations regarding everything related to housing services. The Ministry works daily to monitor and respond to comments on social media immediately and is also interested in obtaining the citizens' evaluations of the services it provides, to take note of observations and improve aspects of work and performance, whether through direct or electronic channels to achieve effective communication.
MOHUP is committed to the e-participation policy pursued by the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which focuses on providing electronic participation and enhancing social media channels. The Ministry seeks to develop, implement, monitor, review and update the e-participation framework, which leads to achieving the Kingdom's vision to build a better life for every Bahraini citizen.
To effectively promote the use of information and communication technology to engage users and clients regarding the services provided by the Ministry, the Ministry has exerted efforts to improve and develop the available channels and support them with participation tools such as surveys and direct chat, in addition to social media platforms.
e-Participation Channels
e-Participation channels have been established to enable citizens and stakeholders to participate effectively through comments and suggestions on electronic or regular services, so that these participations can be used in the decision-making process and planning policies in the future. The MOHUP also communicates and engages with the community through social media channels that are clearly announced in the Instagram profile, as well as in all social media templates that have been standardized to include all social media handles.
In the event of launching any new service or program, to activate communication with the public a live broadcast is opened with citizens to ask their questions, share their comments, and make their observations. This broadcast is announced in advance to ensure encompassing the largest number of questions and comments from citizens and in return, equal and suitable feedback from the Ministry.
E-Services
MOHUP provides its services through the National eGovernment Portal, which represents the unified portal to access government services and information through which citizens can obtain electronic services, as the Ministry is focused on electronic transformation to enhance and improve the clients’ experience.
This electronic services transformation comes within the comprehensive digital transformation plan for all services and transactions provided by the Ministry to citizens in line with the Government Plan 2023-2026 goal related to supporting efforts to digitize government services and transactions and make them comprehensively electronic, in addition to responding to the suggestions received by the Ministry through its various channels to develop the services provided to its clients.
Virtual Customer Service Center
The Virtual Customer Service Center provides interactive communication channels that allow citizens to directly communicate with the Ministry easily and conveniently, namely the Live Written Chat Service and the 80008001 Hotline, in addition to the National System for Suggestions and Complaints "Tawasul" and the visual communication feature for Sign Language via Skype by following (IsharaCC) account. The center also provides Financing Consultations Services via Direct Video Call and Guiding Services.
National Suggestions and Complaints System (Tawasul)
The Ministry communicates with citizens through the National System for Suggestions and Complaints (Tawasul) for any inquiry, suggestion, idea, or complaint, and through which also complaints and inquiries are answered, in addition to monitoring and analyzing citizens' observations and then converting them to improvement proposals.
•Tawasul Application
Social Media Channels
MOHUP provides citizens with the opportunity to communicate with the Ministry through four social media platforms to provide information and educate citizens about the services provided by the Ministry while posting the latest developments related to the Ministry and its services.
MOHUP Social Media Platforms:
Examples of e-participation activities through social media:
•Direct Messages
Due to the Ministry's conviction in the importance of monitoring the views and suggestions of the public and their impact on the Ministry's housing services and policies, and to ensure the continuity of communication with citizens, the Ministry launched the idea of "Direct Message" where citizens can express their suggestions or complaints. The Ministry has created a social media post titled "Your Questions from Private Messages" and the initiative aims to address the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) and questions from direct Instagram messages and then post them to ensure that accurate information is disseminated through the official channel and reaches the audience on a large scale. Since the implementation of this service, the Ministry has noticed a significant decrease in the frequency of questions and inquiries.
•Live Streaming
MOHUP is exerting unremitting efforts to enhance communication with citizens, as the Ministry has implemented live broadcasts on Instagram to communicate with the public and provide them with the opportunity to ask questions and share comments and opinions. The live broadcast episodes have received wide resonance, and after the live broadcast and through an electronic
statistics system, the usefulness of the media messages that were broadcasted is identified through the number of participants, the volume of interaction and participation, as well as the number of questions and inquiries raised in the broadcast.
To ensure that live broadcast information reaches the largest possible segment of citizens, the content resulting from the live broadcast is published as clips or integrated broadcasts through social media accounts that most affect followers in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and which are trusted by citizens. After activating the live broadcast, the Ministry noticed a significant decrease in the frequency of many questions and inquiries through social media accounts.
•Recorded Episodes
To ensure the expansion of the dissemination of information and enhance social communication with citizens, the Ministry has inclined to record media episodes that clarify the differences between the programs and services provided by the Ministry, to clarify misconceptions and address common inquiries that are monitored through citizens' repeated observations. All these episodes are circulated on social media accounts that have a reliable fan base, to deliver media messages to all citizens, and to publish the content of these episodes in the local press, in addition to broadcasting it as media breaks on Bahrain Radio and Television.
•Virtual Consultations via WhatsApp
In pursuit of excellence in serving citizens, MOHUP provides a unique service, the Virtual Consultations for citizens regarding housing financing plans. Through this service, users can book appointments online to receive consultations via WhatsApp, eliminating the need to visit the Ministry's Customer Service Center.
