Hosted by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), the 2nd edition of the e-government workshop for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region kicked off in Qatar on Wednesday.
The two-day workshop features the participation of the representatives of the United Nations, Arab countries, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and other regional nations, in addition to official delegations, experts, and representatives of international organizations.
Participants seek to develop a methodology to evaluate the EGDI in such a way as to reflect regional contexts and keep pace with rapid technological advances. The workshop also aims to enhance regional cooperation among participating countries and enable them to exchange experiences and best practices in digital transformation. This effort contributes to improving the performance of digital governments and achieving comprehensive and sustainable digital transformation.
In her opening speech, Assistant Undersecretary for Digital Government Affairs at MCIT, Mashael Ali Al Hammadi, said that by hosting this event, Qatar reflects its commitment to contributing to the development of digital governance standards regionally and internationally.
She noted the importance of strengthening international cooperation frameworks in order to expand the impact of digital transformation, in support of sustainable development goals and digital inclusion.
Al Hammadi highlighted that the workshop is one of the initiatives supporting the implementation of the Digital Agenda 2030, which serves as the national roadmap for building a connected digital government. This includes establishing modern digital infrastructure and supporting a digital economy and a society capable of innovation and leadership, amid rapid global changes.
The Assistant Undersecretary for Digital Government Affairs at MCIT also said that Qatar, represented by MCIT, and in collaboration with Hamad Bin Khalifa University, has prepared the Arabic and French editions of the EGDI 2024 report, in addition to contributing to the Spanish edition, which was prepared by Uruguay.
She added these are strategic steps that reflect the State of Qatar's commitment to supporting universal access to digital knowledge and enhancing multilingualism in global digital content, thus broadening the impact and dissemination of knowledge across both developing and developed countries.
Al Hammadi touched on the significant progress made since the first edition of this workshop in March 2023. She highlighted the notable advancements in digital transformation at both the regional and global levels, as evidenced by the release of the 2024 UN E-Government Survey, which introduces more advanced and comprehensive indicators and standards, reinforcing collective efforts to build a sustainable and effective digital future.
Attending virtually, Chief of Digital Government at UN-DESA, Vincenzo Aquaro, stressed the workshop's significance in strengthening cooperation in digital transformation and tracking progress across the region. He underscored the importance of digital transformation indicators in supporting countries to achieve comprehensive and sustainable digital change. The workshop, Aquaro noted, is a timely event for building the digital future within digital governments and identifying the challenges facing countries, particularly the need to enhance necessary infrastructure.
The Chief of Digital Government at UN-DESA also commended the State of Qatar's efforts in digital transformation and the significant progress made through its professional programs integrating digital transformation into government operations. He said Qatar serves as a model alongside other successful examples from GCC countries. However, Aquaro pointed to a gap in terms of advancing digital transformation, with some countries having made remarkable progress, while others have yet to adopt digital transformation strategies, thus, underscoring the need for collective efforts in this direction.
The first day of the workshop includes several panel discussions reviewing progress in digital transformation across the MENA region, regional impact through inter-country collaboration, and showcasing major GCC-state e-government achievements and digital transformation, including joint GCC efforts to enhance the digital government index.
In turn, Director of Digital Transformation Excellence at MCIT, Farha Muhanna Al Kuwari, launched the workshop by highlighting the importance of discussing the challenges facing MENA countries in terms of digital transformation, in addition to best practices and success stories in the field.
Achieving a qualitative leap in the EGDI 2024, Qatar ranked 5th globally in terms of index growth rate, jumping 25-positions up, from 78th to 53rd place, out of a total of 193 evaluated countries.
Published by the UN-DESA, this composite index measures the success of governments in using e-services to improve the lives of individuals and companies, in addition to evaluating the comprehensive development of e-governments worldwide.
MCIT, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE), the National Planning Council (NPC), the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), and other government entities, has implemented 29 integrated projects across six main pillars. This is aimed at positioning Qatar in the top rankings within the index by 2030, in line with the objectives of the Digital Agenda 2030, which seeks to develop an advanced, sustainable digital infrastructure and achieve comprehensive digital transformation that enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of online services in Qatar.
