Bahrain has assumed the presidency of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) for the current session (2023) at the General Assembly which was held in Riyadh.
The meeting was attended by ministers of telecommunications representing member states. Bahrain is one of the first five participating countries in the organisation, along with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait and Pakistan, said a Bahrain News Agency report.
Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Mohammed bin Thamer AlKaabi expressed delighted at the unanimous decision which reflects the confidence of member states in Bahrain's capabilities.
He affirmed Bahrain's support for the efforts of all member states and to work in coordination to advance digital economy and provide real opportunities based on the digital economy in the region.
HIgh level delegations from the 13 DCO member states, observer states, as well as representatives from guest countries and international organizations took part in the General Assembly, to discuss the state of the digital economy and the challenges facing all nations in achieving equitable global digital growth and development.
Focused on empowering youth, women, and entrepreneurs, leveraging the accelerative power of the digital economy and leapfrogging with innovation, the DCO is a global multilateral organisation, founded in November 2020 and headquartered in Riyadh, that aims to enable digital prosperity for all by accelerating the inclusive growth of the digital economy.
Thirteen member states have joined DCO to date – Bahrain, Cyprus, Djibouti, The Gambia, Ghana, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Oman, Nigeria, Rwanda, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia – along with the private sector, academia, and NGO Observer Members.
Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the DCO said: "Digital technologies have immense potential to transform economies and empower groups including women and entrepreneurs with new opportunities, especially that 70% of the new value created in the global economy over the next decade will be based on digitally enabled platforms so it is of critical importance that all nations have the same ability to leverage the power of digitalization to achieve their goals. The DCO was formed to accelerate digital transformation through collaboration and knowledge sharing among all stakeholders to empower nations to develop strategies and programs to drive their own digital development and equally participate in the global digital economy."