QNA
Doha
Minister of Communications and Information Technology HE Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai has stressed that strengthening cooperation between the GCC countries will be an important step towards realising the aspirations of building a prosperous and secure digital society.
The minister was speaking at the 8th meeting of the Ministerial Committee for e-Government and the 28th meeting of the Ministerial Committee for Post and Telecommunications of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) in Doha under Qatar’s presidency.
The meeting was attended by ministers of Communications, Information Technology and Postal services of the GCC countries, along with Secretary-General of the GCC Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi.
In his opening speech, Mannai stressed the importance of cooperation between the GCC countries in the fields of communications and information technology, highlighting the significant impact of these efforts in achieving the shared goals of member states.
He said, "Our cooperation today reflects the depth of the friendly and long-standing ties between our countries, and our mutual commitment to enhancing integration and unifying efforts in the postal and communications sectors, which play a crucial role in developing our national economies and enhancing competitiveness at both the regional and international levels.”
He added, "We are confident that this meeting will contribute to strengthening cooperation between the GCC countries and will be an important step towards realising our aspirations in building a prosperous and secure digital society. What we have achieved so far is just the beginning of a series of achievements we aim to accomplish by establishing a strong and advanced technology sector that contributes to creating new job opportunities and seeks to increase investments by adopting innovative business models and localizing the latest technological advancements.”
For his part, Albudaiwi highlighted the significance of the topics discussed by both meetings, which will shape the upcoming phase of cooperation among member states in the field of digital governance, as the GCC Ministerial Committee for e-Government launches the GCC e-Government Guiding Strategy (2024-2030), the unified digital access framework for the GCC and look into the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).
He also praised the Ministerial Committee for e-Government’s efforts since its inception, in addition to its pursuit of achieving a complete digital transformation in the government sector using top-notch global best practices and innovations, thus, leading global digital governance rankings.
Albudaiwi attributed these achievements to the committee’s interest in e-governance and the substantial benefits that a strong and effective digital government will bring to the economies of the GCC, including increased productivity, improved efficiency, and facilitated services.
He also noted the significant progress made by the Ministerial Committee for Post and Telecommunications on various fronts, taking the initial steps on space cooperation, considering the reduction of roaming charges among GCC countries, preparing a comprehensive plan for the telecommunications sector, and launching the Gulf research award on technology foresight and digital economy.
The ministerial committee discussed several topics on the agenda, including the launch of the e-Government Strategic Framework 2024-2030, as well as reviewing the minutes of the committees and teams affiliated with the GCC e-Government Executive Committee.
The meetings also reviewed the establishment of a temporary working group to monitor the implementation of digital accessibility standards and discussed the outcomes of the 26th meeting of the GCC e-Government Executive Committee, held in June 2024, which approved the unified framework for digital accessibility for the GCC countries, prepared by Qatar.
It also addressed the terms of the GCC Digital Government Award, the presentation by Saudi Arabia on the Internet Governance Forum, and the rankings of the GCC countries in the 2024 e-Government Development Index.