Dubai
The Arab Federation for Digital Economy participated in the activities of the Fourth Arab Consultative Conference to review the World Summit on the Information Society +20, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which was organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in cooperation with the League of Arab States, and hosted by the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and Digital Government.
The Union was represented at the conference by Dr. Ayman Mukhtar Ghoneim, Assistant Secretary-General of the Union, who delivered a speech highlighting the trends of Arab cooperation in the digital economy, stressing that digital transformation has become the main driver of global growth, and that the next stage requires coordinated Arab collective action with a unified vision and joint projects to enhance Arab digital power on the international stage.
The most important points in the Union’s speech:
- Building a unified Arab system for the digital economy to coordinate policies and legislation and promote sustainable development and joint innovation.
- Localizing technology and shared digital infrastructure through regional projects in data centers, cloud connectivity, and electronic payments to ensure digital sovereignty.
- Empowering small and medium-sized enterprises and Arab entrepreneurs through unified educational and commercial platforms and opening new regional markets.
- Enhancing Arab financial inclusion by using modern digital systems to facilitate cross-border transactions and deepen economic integration.
- To equip Arab personnel with modern digital skills, to enable young people and government employees to participate in the data and knowledge-based economy.
- Developing unified Arab policies for data and artificial intelligence to enhance digital security and support innovation while protecting privacy and individual rights.
- Establishing a joint Arab mechanism for digital financing and investment to support strategic digital projects and finance economic transformation initiatives.
The Union stressed that these seven paths represent essential pillars of the Arab digital economy, and work to strengthen Arab-Arab integration and link the region to the international community to achieve fair and sustainable digital development.
Key attendees at the conference:
- His Excellency Majid Sultan Al Mesmar, Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and Digital Government of the UAE.
- Her Excellency Ambassador Suila Janina, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Albania to the United Nations and Supervisor of the World Summit on the Information Society.
- Mr. Ayman El Sherbini, Chief of Information and Communication Technology Policies, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
- Dr. Khaled Mahmoud Wali, Director of Information and Communication Technology Development, League of Arab States.
- Ms. Anna Neves, Vice-Chair of the Commission on Harnessing Science and Technology for Development.
The keynote address was also delivered by His Excellency Mr. Thomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, who highlighted the importance of supporting digital transformation and raising the level of international cooperation in the fields of communications and digital technology.
This conference comes as part of the fourth round of Arab consultations, which aim to develop unified Arab outcomes that contribute to guiding regional digital policies and reflect the role of the Arab world in sustainable digital development and active participation in global international initiatives.
