PACI launches new app via which Kuwaitis and residents can get digital civil ID cards

Kuwait, UN discuss developments, challenges amid COVID-19 ramifications

By Mervat Abdeldayem KUWAIT CITY, April 22, (KUNA): The Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) has launched a new application, “ID Mobile Kuwait,” via which citizens and residents can obtain a digital civil identification card that can be used in various government and non-government transactions.

PACI Assistant Director General Musaed Al-Asousi said in a statement to KUNA on Wednesday that the application was launched in line with the Ministerial Resolution 1/2020, issued by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and PACI Chairman Anas Al-Saleh.

The authority has also launched another service, “Authentication,” for safe access to electronic services and transactions, in addition to e-signature site, “Signature Digital,” for electronic documents for public and private authorities.

Al-Asousi added that the application could be effected by self service or by referring to PACI’s bureaus. However, due to current extraordinary circumstances in the country, effecting the application with these methods is halted, thus PACI has developed another method via smart phones.

The application for now solely provides issuing a digital ID card as a replacement to the material one. Digital authentication will be available soon through smart phones.

Al-Asousi added that the application is a digital alternative to the tangible ID card, amid current circumstances related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) where PACI could not distribute IDs through conventional ways.

The digital application is useful for those who cannot not get their physical IDs, kept in automated delivery machines, before work was halted on March 12, or for those whose cards expired during the time since then.

Al-Asousi noted further that priority of giving the digital service would be for those whose IDs expired and have new ones kept in the delivery automated machines or those who applied for renewing the ID via PACI website.

Exemptions for now includes newly born, those who filed for registration first time, applicants for cards who lost theirs and domestic workers.

Full information about the application are available on PACI’s website: www.paci.gov.kw).

Technical support is available by emailing the website, “MIDSupportpaci.gov.kw), or by sending a WhatsApp message via number: 50008018).

UN Secretary-General representative and the Resident Coordinator in Kuwait, Dr Tariq Al-Sheikh, and the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, Dr. Khaled Mahdi dis

cussed online the continuous joint cooperation and global development opportunities and challenges related to the coronavirus spread.

Both sides discussed the priorities for planning, future forecasting and different scenarios to reduce the epidemic effects on the economy, society, demography and dealing with the crisis as an opportunity for Kuwait to introduce and amend policies, said the representative’ office in a press release Tuesday.

The statement noted that the meeting witnessed a presentation of a cooperation draft proposal between the UN and the Kuwaiti government in a risk management plan and a rapid development response in the areas of community health awareness, safety, economic and social resilience and education.

The two sides stressed the continuous cooperation in studying the risk management resulting from the slowdown in achieving the sustainable development goals in view of the reality of this pandemic, it added.

Furthermore, the statement quoted Dr. Tariq as saying that the UN with all its institutions undertakes to provide and submit recommendations, plans, response programs, international guides and directives for countries to cooperate in dealing with the current emergency and its effects on various sectors in Kuwait and the rest of the countries.

For his part, Dr. Khaled emphasized that the current policies that resulted from the current situation and in which focus will be demonstrated showed that the post-Cvovid19 world will be completely different and that the interests will focus on health problems, volunteer management, online education, major economic issues and food security.

Kuwait Petroleum International has supplied aircraft of Kuwait Airways at Heathrow Airport during operation to repatriate Kuwaiti citizens, said KPI President and CEO Sheikh Nawaf Saud Al-Sabah.

KPI has supplied the KAC planes with Q8 Aviation fuel at Heathrow Airport, as back-up to the Government of the State of Kuwait to evacuate all Kuwaiti citizens from countries all over the world at a rate exceeding 100 flights, Sheikh Nawaf said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).