Cairo

A number of Arab officials and specialists praised the decision of the Council of the League of Arab States issued by the Arab Summit Conference that was held in Algeria recently, which stipulated the generalization of the initiative of the Arab vision for the digital economy to become a guiding reference for Arab countries and organizations to develop their national and regional strategic plans, as well as to launch a wide range of projects that It may attract investors, governments and the private sector.

 initiative idea

The idea of ​​the initiative consisted of a lofty goal set by the leadership of the United Arab Emirates to support the development of Arab countries and enhance the growth and stability of their societies, on the grounds that global transformations have become imperative for an Arab position to modernize and keep pace with the rapid developments, which are reshaping the economic and social systems in the world.

A document called “The Arab Vision for the Digital Economy” was prepared through the Arab Federation for the Digital Economy with the participation of international bodies, and was announced at an international conference held in Abu Dhabi in December 2018, in the presence of His Excellency the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, and representatives of Arab countries and international organizations.

International bodies, most notably Harvard University and Cairo University, participated in the preparation of the “Arab Vision.” More than 70 UN officials and international experts representing many international bodies, including the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, participated in its review.

 Previous Ministerial Appropriations

The Arab vision for the digital economy was approved by the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League and the Council of Arab Ministers of Economy, and since 2020 it has been included in the agenda of the Arab Summit.

It was also approved by the Council of Arab Communications and Information Systems Ministers to be a main entry point for the Arab Digital Agenda, a project that was launched in cooperation between the General Secretariat of the Arab League, ESCWA at the United Nations, and the Arab Union for the Digital Economy.

The importance of the initiative

The Arab vision of the digital economy integrates with the 17 international sustainability principles issued by the United Nations, as it aims in its entirety to develop and develop the economic foundations in the Arab region with the aim of improving the quality of life in general, supporting technological development and deepening its uses.

Initiative Structure

The strategy is designed around five main axes: infrastructure, digital government, digital business, citizen services, and creativity and innovation.

From these axes (20) strategic objectives emerged, representing general general lines and directions to encourage the activation of the tools and activities of the digital economy and to enhance the material and moral return from them.

Implementation of the Arab vision for the digital economy

The general context

The advantage that the “Arab vision for the digital economy” offers to Arab countries is gaining international and regional momentum, and justifies the adoption of digital economy projects, which enables them to obtain international support through traditional methods from support funds and international banks, and also encourages the private sector to participate and invest, It is a great benefit to the Arab countries.

It is planned that the “Arab Vision” for the Arab countries will be followed up and published by the League of Arab States through the Arab Union for the Digital Economy, as a guiding tool for public policies and national local plans.

Interest accruing to Arab countries

The regional endorsement by several parties of this vision, which was issued and reviewed with the participation of international bodies such as Harvard University, the United Nations and the World Bank, will be beneficial to strengthening the arguments of the Arab beneficiary countries, which develop their projects and initiatives in line with the Arab vision of the digital economy, as they will meet a consistent demand of interest. This will facilitate the request for international support and funding and encourage investors to invest in the programs and initiatives arising from this vision.

Arab Index of the Digital Economy

video link:

https://youtu.be/dFxSx1ZBgx8