MANAMA: Mahmood Rafique, Editor: The 15-member Digital Cooperation Organization General Assembly, with nearly $3.3 trillion in GDP and a market of nearly 800 million people of whom 70 per cent are under 35, convenes in the Kingdom of Bahrain on Wednesday to deliberate upon the progress on the digitization of economies.
This will be an in-person meeting of the DCO member States, marking three years of progress for the international organization which has been founded to help achieve social prosperity and growth by unifying efforts to advance and promote interest in the digital economy.
The Kingdom of Bahrain was officially appointed by the DCO as the Presidency country for the year 2023 is hosting the ministers representing the 15-member states, along with high-level delegations from the DCO observers, as well as representatives from guest countries and international organizations to discuss the state of the digital economy and the challenges facing all nations in achieving equitable global digital growth and development.
The DCO is a global multilateral organization established in November 2020, aimed at enabling digital prosperity for all by accelerating inclusive growth of the digital economy.
The Organization brings together ministries of communications and information technology in 15 countries include the Kingdom of Bahrain, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the Republic of Djibouti, the Republic of The Gambia, the Republic of Ghana, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Sultanate of Oman, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the State of Qatar, the Republic of Rwanda, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The DCO is focused on empowering youth, women, and entrepreneurs, leveraging the accelerative power of the digital economy, and leapfrogging with innovation to drive economic growth and increase social prosperity. Through cooperation, dialogue, and the creation of mutually advantageous cross- border legislation, to establish within member nations, the optimal infrastructure, and policies for the rapid creation of inclusive and equitable digital economies within which all people, businesses and societies can innovate and thrive.
In pursuit of our members’ common interests–- for example, in the areas of digital skills training, data protection, intellectual copyright, regulation, taxation and entrepreneurship – the DCO works collaboratively with governments, the private sector, international organizations, NGOs and civil society to enable more inclusive digital transformation and the growth of digital industries.
The DCO’s key initiatives include programmes to enhance cross-border data flows, promote market expansion for SMEs, empower digital entrepreneurs and advance digital inclusion among women and youth, and other underrepresented populations.
The General Assembly serves as a platform to notarize international cooperation between governments with the aim of enhancing global cooperation on the digital economy.
The DCO General Assembly brings together DCO Member States to discuss strategic directions and initiatives to enable digital prosperity for all nations. Ministers representing the 15 DCO Member States, along with high-level delegations from DCO observers, as well as representatives from guest countries and international organizations are set to discuss the state of the digital economy and the challenges facing all nations in achieving sustainable and inclusive digital growth and development.
The 3rd General Assembly is being hosted by Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications which is the main Government entity that is responsible for regulating the Telecommunications’ sector in the Kingdom.
