Richie Santosdiaz gives an overview of the recent Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) fifth General Assembly that was held in Kuwait.
The fifth General Assembly of the DCO was held 4-5th February and attended by its 16 member states with their various ministers and government officials, the over 60 observers (which included organizations both in the public, private and semi-government sector), and the wider growing partnership network.
“Exclusive prosperity in the age of artificial intelligence (AI)” was the major theme of the Assembly.
Opening ceremony and sessions during the General Assembly
First, country host Kuwait kicked off the opening of the General Assembly with opening remarks from H.E. Omar Saud Al-Omar, Minister of State for Communication Affairs of the State of Kuwait and Chairperson of the DCO Council for the current term; he also chaired the Assembly during the two days.
After H.E. Al-Omar, other welcoming remarks were made by H.E. Deemah AlYahya – Secretary General of the DCO (who last year was reappointed for another four-year term), and, afterwards, previous fourth General Assembly host and DCO presidency of the Kingdom of Jordan, were done by H.E. Eng. Sami Smeirat – Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship.
Later, further opening remarks were made by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s H.E. Shaza Fatima Khawaja – Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunications. Pakistan will take over the current chair role from Kuwait and also plans to host the seventh General Assembly 2027. Finally, welcoming remarks were made by H.E. Eng. Abdullah Amer Alswaha – the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and, virtually through video message, by the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He said, “I look forward to working with the Digital Cooperation Organization and all partners to build guardrails and accountability, advance shared standards and bridge the AI divide, so the benefits of AI are shared by all.”
The day further progressed with various open and closed doors meetings.
Key announcements, initiatives and agreements
A few of the many highlights during the DCO’s General Assembly the past two days included:
- H.E. Al-Omar announcing the launch of a DCO campaign to combat online misinformation, through creating a platform for member states and partners aiming to commit strong cooperative and legislative actions.
- Kuwait handing over the presidency council of the DCO to Pakistan for the current year; 2027 plans to go to Saudi Arabia
- Various partnerships and/or memorandum of understandings (MoUs); some of the MoUs announced include those with DCO and the following individual organizations: International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), TikTok, and Edraak (an online platform offering free Arabic massive open courses launched in 2014 by Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan as an initiative of the Queen Rania Foundation)
The International Digital Cooperation Forum Discussing Key Aspects to Bring Digital Inclusion
In parallel and complimenting the General Assembly two-day program, the second edition of the International Digital Cooperation Forum (IDCF) kicked off, starting with opening remarks from DCO’s Director General Dr. Hajar El Haddaoui; later other remarks came from various partners included John Hoffman, CEO of the GSMA.
The forum as a whole was attended by various people from around the world – from the public sector such as regulators to the private sector – both large companies and startups.
There was a flagship stage for the main forum, as well as various side events such as workshops, different areas for closed door meetings for participants of the General Assembly, as well as an area for startups that have worked with the DCO to showcase their solutions. The strategic partner for the IDCF this year, with its own showcase area, was Zaintech.
Throughout the two-days, some of the panel sessions at the flagship stage included: ‘Shaping the Digital Economy Future: Insights and Action Pathways from the DCO DEN 2025 and DET 2026,’ ‘Operationalizing Responsible & Trustworthy AI: Moving Beyond Ethics Manifestos to Functional Compliance and Risk Management,’ ‘Digital Banking and Fintech as Enablers of an Inclusive Digital Economy,’ ‘Women Shaping the Future of Technology,‘ and ‘Fueling Growth: Innovation and Investment as Catalysts for Digital and Social Prosperity.’ The latter I had the opportunity to moderate.
The panels had an array of world-renowned experts and partners. One to highlight, for example, was day two’s kickoff panel ‘AI Safety and Systemic Risk,’ which included the Republic of Lebanon’s H.E. Dr. Kamal Shehadi – Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence, the Kingdom of Morocco’s Dr. Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni – Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in Charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, the State of Palestine’s H.E. Dr. Abdel Razzaq Natsheh – Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Economy, the Republic of Kenya’s Hon. William Kabogo Gitau – Minister of ICT and Digital Economy, and the Kingdom of Cambodia’s H.E. Vandeth Chea – Minister of Post and Telecommunications (MPTC); the moderator was Ahmad Bhinder from the DCO.
Overall, the latest Assembly showcased the wider strategic vision and implementation of the various member states and their partners – both in the public sector and private sector – towards wider digital economic development.
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