- The DCO’s 2nd General Assembly will be the platform to notarize international cooperation between governments with the aim of enhancing global collaboration on the digital economy.
- The DCO will explore areas of multilateral cooperation to empower cross-border digital markets and foster sustainable and inclusive digital economies by bridging the gap and promoting digital inclusiveness across member states.
The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) will host the 2nd General Assembly in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the 5th of February, bringing together DCO Member States to discuss strategic directions and initiatives to enable digital prosperity for all nations. Ministers representing the 13 DCO member states, along with high-level delegations from DCO observers, as well as representatives from guest countries and international organizations will convene for 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.
The 2nd General Assembly will be the first-ever in-person meeting of the DCO Member States, marking two 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 monumental event, taking place at the Fairmont Hotel in Riyadh, will also reflect the qualitative leaps made by the member states in its shift toward a tech-powered economy.
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.”
“I am very pleased that the Ministers from DCO Member States will convene in Riyadh, the headquarters of the DCO, for the 2nd General Assembly to mark two years of progress towards the DCO’s goals, and to continue the discussions on how we can achieve digital prosperity for all in collaboration with our international observers from the ecosystem stakeholders representing the private sector, academia, think tanks and civil society organizations,” AlYahya added.
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 organization founded in November 2020 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.
Real time updates from the general assembly and select livestream sessions can be accessed via the DCO’s twitter account (@DCOrg).
About DCO
The DCO is a global multilateral organization founded in November 2020 that aims to enable digital prosperity for all by accelerating the inclusive growth of the digital economy. The DCO brings together the Ministries of Communications and IT of 13 nations – Bahrain, Cyprus, Djibouti, The Gambia, Ghana, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Oman, Nigeria, Rwanda, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia – that collectively represent nearly $2 trillion in GDP and a market of nearly 600 million people, more than 70% of whom are under the age of 35.
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, we seek to establish within our 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 – 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 programs 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.
