Legislation and a thoughtful investment climate for infrastructure based on digital knowledge for non-competing Arab integration to ensure everyone benefits

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the capital, Abu Dhabi, will host the first conference on developing the common Arab vision of the digital economy from 16-17 December.

This conference, which was announced today “Wednesday” in Cairo at the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Economic Unity in the League of Arab States, comes as part of the council’s efforts to keep pace with the major global transformations in the fields of the digital economy by mobilizing Arab capabilities and international expertise, and activating joint Arab cooperation to achieve a set of Positive goals that would advance Arab societies.

The conference aims to present the axes of the joint Arab strategy for the digital economy to representatives of Arab countries, experts, thinkers, academics and Arab and international practitioners. From the strategy, development initiatives and projects will shed light on the economic opportunities available to Arab League member states in the areas of digital transformation in light of non-competing Arab integration to ensure that all Arab countries benefit from the available opportunities.

The conference was announced at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Economic Unity, in the presence of Ambassador Mohamed Mohamed Al-Rabie, Secretary-General of the Council of Arab Economic Unity, Eng. Atef Helmy, the former Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and Dr. Ali Al-Khouri, Advisor to the Council of Arab Economic Unity and a number of relevant specialists the digital economy.

His Excellency Ambassador Mohamed Mohamed Al-Rabee, Secretary-General of the Council of Arab Economic Unity stressed the importance of the conference by saying: “We had hope and ambition when we launched the Arab Common Market in 1964, and today the European Union has achieved what we aspired to, and the African Union is racing against time to reach a common African market, and it has reached Association of Southeast Asian Nations to advanced levels in this field. We in the Arab world are still facing internal and external challenges one after the other. Despite this, we hope that there is a golden opportunity today to advance our Arab world through the digital economy.”

He added: “We have huge capabilities, resources, geographical location, and most of all, a generation that aspires to the best, is passionate about technology and has the ingredients for success in software, electronics and modern technologies. The Arab millennial generation has an instinct to know technology, which, together with its peers in the world, will represent about 75% of the workforce by 2025, and we do not want this generation to be consumers, but rather productive, creative, innovative and pioneers in the fields of the digital economy and to take its natural place in the renaissance of its societies and the Arab nation.” .

The Secretary-General praised the role of the UAE and its leaders, saying: “We have the UAE, whose leaders today offer their experiences and achievements to support a common Arab vision of the digital economy, and to share their organizational and technological progress and their successful experiences in the fields of economy and digital transformation with the Arab nation. The leaders of the Emirates who are doing everything in their power to advance Arab societies and economies with the support and attention to detail and unprecedented care from them.”

And he concluded by saying: “We will manage a set of axes to support the digital transformation plans of Arab governments, enhance financial inclusion plans and support the development of knowledge, legislative and technological infrastructures to enable the Arab youth generation to realize their hopes and aspirations in the field of modern technologies.” Expressing deep gratitude to the UAE and its leaders for their insightful strategic vision to support joint Arab cooperation in light of global transformations.

In turn, Dr. Ali Mohamed Al-Khouri, Advisor to the Council of Arab Economic Unity, the most important outcome of the conference: “The conference aims to present the axes of the joint Arab strategy for the digital economy that support sustainable development and investment in technological projects and infrastructure in the Arab world.”

Al-Khouri continued by saying: “A number of international and Arab institutions and organizations and more than 70 international experts from senior global experts and specialists in the field of digital economy participated in formulating the strategy. The United Kingdom, the World Bank, the European Commission, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the UK Cabinet Office of Digital Government Services and other institutions working in the digital economy.”

Al-Khouri revealed that the conference presented the axes of economic opportunities available to Arab countries as a result of digital transformation, stressing the presence of investments that come from international investment funds in the fields of technology pouring into the Arab world, as well as the existence of huge opportunities for inter-Arab investments in the infrastructure of the digital economy.

Dr. stressed. Al-Khouri stressed that “our youth in the Arab region are more connected and more optimistic and hopeful than ever before. Our region enjoys a large number of young people, about 60 percent have not reached the age of thirty. We have huge demographic dividends that require us to invest in the infrastructure of the digital economy to advance their roles and creativity. Legislation and a thoughtful investment climate for knowledge and technology infrastructure would attract capital in ways that meet the positive goals desired to be achieved for the Arab peoples.”

The Arab Digital Economy Conference will be held from 16-17 December 2018 at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, with the participation of elite officials, representatives of Arab countries, ministers of finance and economy, central bank governors, representatives of chambers of commerce and industry, business leaders, investors, and representatives of Arab and international media.

Those interested in attending can register via the conference website:

https://www.digitaleconomyconference.com/Registration