ABU DHABI, 17th December, 2024 (WAM) -- Abu Dhabi has hosted the regional workshop on sustainable investment in digital transformation in the Arab region, organised by the Department of Sustainable Development and International Cooperation at the League of Arab States, in collaboration with the Arab Federation for Digital Economy.

The workshop was attended by representatives of Arab countries, including officials from ministries of sustainable development.

The two-day workshop featured several key sessions. The first focused on digital investment in the Arab region, covering government digital transformation initiatives, strategic infrastructure investments, global trends in digital transformation, and its role in achieving sustainable development in the Arab region.

The second session highlighted opportunities for supporting private investment and foreign partnerships in digital projects.

Additionally, the 16th meeting of the Arab Committee for Sustainable Development was held on Tuesday on the sidelines of the workshop, both in person and via video conference. The meeting, chaired by the UAE, aligns with the country's presidency of the Economic and Social Council for this session.

The meeting was attended by representatives of fourteen Arab countries concerned with sustainable development, in addition to specialised Arab organisations, as well as a representative of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the United Nations Programme, UNESCO, the Islamic Development Bank, and various civil society organisations concerned with sustainability and media.

From WAM

The committee's agenda includes 14 key topics focused on a number of important topics and initiatives, such as eliminating hunger in the Arab region, the Arab Digital Platform for Sustainable Development, sustainable financing in the Arab region, Arab Vision 2045, and others.

Minister Plenipotentiary, Nada Al-Ajizi, Director of the Sustainable Development and International Cooperation Department, opened the workshop and welcomed the existing cooperation between the Arab Digital Platform for Sustainable Development and the Arab Federation for the Digital Economy.

She stressed that digital technology and sustainable investment are essential pillars for achieving comprehensive and sustainable development.

She said that the Arab vision for the digital economy, which was adopted by Arab leaders at the 2022 Algiers Summit, is an important step towards building integrated and sustainable digital economies in the region and presented his upcoming initiative to conduct an assessment of future skills gaps in the Middle East region.

Dr. Abdullah Al Darmaki, Deputy Secretary-General of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy, delivered a keynote speech at the opening session, in which he indicated that sustainable investment in digital transformation in the Arab region “comes at a time when digital transformation has become an indispensable necessity to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development.”

During the meeting, Dr. Ayman Mokhtar Ghoneim, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy, presented an overview of the Arab Food Market Initiative, which establishes a broad alliance between government agencies, the public and private sectors, and the technology sector to create a virtual market.