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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Senior government officials from several nations patronized the launch of the

Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) Thursday – a global organization aimed

at strengthening cooperation across all innovation driven areas and

accelerating growth of the digital economy. The event was attended by H.E.

Houlin Zhao ITU Secretary General and H.E. Borge Brende, President, World

Economic Forum.

Founded by Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, the DCO is

driven by a vision to realize a digital future for all by empowering women,

youth and entrepreneurs, growing the digital economy, and leapfrogging with

innovation.

"We are joining hands together towards a commitment to drive consensus on

digital cooperation to make sure that we seize an opportunity for our youth,

our women and our entrepreneurs with the ambition to grow our combined digital

economy to one trillion dollars in the next 3-5 years," said H.E. Abdullah Amer

Al-Swaha, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Communications and Information Technology.

"Our future prosperity will depend on the digital economy. But it can only

reach its full potential if we are able to make governments work together

collectively with businesses, and entrepreneurs so they can survive and thrive,

expand their depth into current markets and open doors for everyone into new ones."

The launch of the DCO follows the conclusion of Saudi Arabia's G20 Presidency

to maintain the Kingdom's momentum on accelerating the growth of the digital

economy across the region and the globe, as nations everywhere increase their

adoption of remote learning, telemedicine and contact-less economic systems to

survive and thrive beyond the social and economic impact of COVID-19.

"This is a critical step towards ensuring that our digital economies are

innovative and future-proof," H.E. Ahmad Hanandeh, Jordan's Minister of Digital

Economy and Entrepreneurship, said. "To create sustainable change, we cannot

work in silos; this is a collective and global collaboration. This is where our

digital journeys intersect and we can learn from and support one another, which

will in turn open doors for our youth and sectors to benefit from these efforts."

Based on its digitally-focused charter, the DCO welcomes participation and

guidance from the private sector, international organizations, non-government

organizations and the academic world.

"The Kingdom of Bahrain is pleased to be part of such a dynamic initiative and

a founding member of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO). We thank the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this initiative and are confident that the DCO will

enable members to respond and adapt in an agile and swift manner to the

ever-changing digital scene. As we have taken steps at a national level to

leverage ICT technologies to enhance government efficiency and processes, the

Kingdom of Bahrain also believes that fostering regional and international

collaboration is a valuable extension to our national efforts," H.E. Kamal bin

Ahmed Mohammed, Bahrain's Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications said.

The founding members of the DCO have joined forces to establish the

organization motivated by their shared interests concerning the digital economy

that can only be realized through collaboration.

"We believe that the DCO will offer Kuwait a great opportunity to further

develop its national digital agenda as well as to further progress the global

digital agenda," H.E. Salim Al-Ozainah, Chairman and CEO of Kuwait's

Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority, said.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister, H.E. Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi added:

"Pakistan is privileged to be a founding member of the Digital Cooperation

Organization and to work closely with our partners to guide and lead a global

digital agenda."

On this occasion, United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Artificial

Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, H.E. Omar Sultan Al

Olama, commented, "We congratulate the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King

Salman Al Saud, his Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammad bin Salman

Al Saud, and our fellow brothers and sisters, the people of the Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia, for launching the Digital Cooperation Organization, and we praise

this step in progressing digital transformation, which will support the broader

technology sector. The adoption of both emerging and advanced technologies

around the world will support global efforts in creating a sustainable and

bright future for all of humanity."

Notes to Editors:

More information about DCO can be found at: www.DCO.org

Media Contact: media@dco.org

+966 55 404 8886

About the Digital Cooperation Organization:

The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) is focused on the digital economy

and aims to strengthen collaboration among member nations as they adapt to a

global economy increasingly defined by technological innovation. The DCO's

founding members are Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1343834/DCO_Representatives.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1343835/DCO_Logo.jpg

Source: Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) and Ministry of Communication & IT (MCIT)