Saturday, December 15, 2018
The First Arab Regional Digital Economy Summit for Arab Countries kicks off today in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Held on December 16-17, the summit is being held under the patronage of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and will feature the participation of a select group of officials and representatives of Arab countries, ministers of finance and economy, governors of central banks, representatives of chambers of commerce and industry, prominent businessmen and investors, and representatives of Arab and international media.
The conference is preparing to launch the Joint Arab Strategy for the Digital Economy, with the participation of several international and Arab institutions and organizations, and more than 70 leading international experts and specialists in the field of the digital economy. Numerous international and Arab entities will also participate to review the strategy before its launch, including the United Nations, the World Bank, the European Commission, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the UK Government Digital Service Office, and other specialized institutions.
This conference, organized by the Council of Arab Economic Unity, is part of the Council’s efforts to keep pace with major global transformations in the digital economy by mobilizing Arab capabilities and international expertise, and activating joint Arab cooperation to achieve a set of positive goals that will advance Arab societies and develop a common Arab vision for the digital economy.
The conference will review the axes of the Joint Arab Strategy for the Digital Economy before representatives of Arab countries, Arab and international experts, thinkers, academics, and practitioners. This strategy is expected to result in development initiatives and projects that will highlight the economic opportunities available to Arab League member states in the field of digital transformation. This will be achieved within a framework of non-competitive Arab integration, ensuring that all countries benefit from available opportunities and resources.
The conference will also discuss a number of topics to support Arab governments’ digital transformation plans, enhance financial inclusion plans, and support the development of knowledge, legislative, and technological infrastructure to enable the Arab youth to realize their hopes and aspirations in the field of modern technologies. This is especially true given the large number of young people in the Arab region, approximately 60% of whom are under the age of thirty.
The summit also seeks to enhance the competitiveness of the technology investment environment in the Arab region by providing all the necessary requirements, whether an advanced legislative environment, qualified infrastructure, or a regulated market.
The first day’s activities are titled “A Shared Arab Vision for the Digital Economy from a Global Perspective.” These activities include several sessions that discuss the region’s overall vision for the digital economy and its global prospects during the first and second sessions. Participants include Dr. Ali El Khoury, President of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy; Atef Helmy, former Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology; Richard Kerby, President of Richard Kerby LLC; Sophia Bauer, President of Wise Media; Stefano Monservese, Director-General of the European Commission; and Dr. Hani Torky, Technical Advisor to the United Nations Development Programme.
The third session of the first day’s activities will discuss the new agenda for education and the workforce, followed by a session on the scenario for the Arab digital economy strategy, with the attendance of Dr. Mohamed Osman Elkhosht, President of Cairo University. Participants will then discuss emerging technologies in the Arab region. The first day’s activities will conclude with a session on life in the digital society.
The second day’s activities will focus on “What if we are ready for innovation and inevitable change?” through several sessions that discuss forms of financing in light of the digital economy, in addition to a session on developing the general framework for policies related to the Arab digital economy, and another discussion revolving around digital transformation to achieve sustainable development. The discussions will feature Deniz Suzar, Director-General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Hon. Svi Lindén, former Minister of Communications of Finland; Dr. Nagwa Samek, Head of the Department of Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at Cairo University; and Marc Ribes, an international expert in information and communications technology and e-government development strategies.
