The UAE is one of the first countries to launch strategies and policies for digital transformation

The dialogue session “Digital Sovereignty in the Era of Rapid Technological Change” on the agenda of the World Economic Forum in Davos discussed the most prominent challenges facing governments and countries to achieve a balance between controlling government digital infrastructure, data, and technology, while maintaining competitiveness and innovation.

Participating in the session were Eng. Mohammed Bin Taliah, Head of Government Services in the UAE Government, Clara Shabazz, Secretary of State for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs in France, Timo von Königsmarck, Executive Vice President of Capgemini Infinite, and Fabian Mehring, Secretary of State for Digital Affairs in the State of Bavaria in Germany. Markus Richter, Undersecretary and Commissioner of the Federal Government for Information Technology at the Ministry of the Interior and Society of Germany, was moderated by Manuel Kilian, Director General of the Center for Global Government Technology.

The session explored the opportunities and challenges facing state governments in the field of digital sovereignty, ways to achieve a balance between controlling public digital infrastructure, ensuring competitiveness and innovation, and the role of flexible policies and legislation in developing this sector, in light of an era witnessing rapid and massive technological developments.

Mohammed bin Taliah stressed that the UAE adopts a proactive approach to keep pace with rapid technological developments, which made it one of the first countries to launch strategies and policies concerned with digital transformation, and developed an advanced, supportive, flexible, ready and prepared digital infrastructure for technological transformations, and transformed many challenges into real opportunities, and harnessed technology. To develop its government services effectively.

Bin Taliah said that the governments of the world face many challenges, which require redesigning their role in the digital space, and achieving a balance in digital sovereignty, to ensure the highest levels of safety and benefit from technology without compromising digital sovereignty, noting that the session represents an opportunity to emphasize the importance of consolidating the role of governments in The digital space, through developing policies and strategies, continuously following up on digital transformation, sharing experiences and inspiring entrepreneurial models, and exchanging experiences to explore the true meaning of digital sovereignty.

He stressed that strengthening cooperation and building partnerships in the field of developing policies and legislation contributes to supporting governments’ efforts in achieving the independence necessary for digital sovereignty, and touched on the UAE’s strategy for digital transformation, its pioneering experience in the digital transformation of government services, and its most prominent initiatives in this field, which include establishing a supreme committee. For government digital transformation, it is concerned with the governance and development of the digital system for government services and operations in the Emirates, and enhancing readiness, competitiveness, flexibility and digital alignment between digital projects and systems in government agencies, in addition to its role in coordinating efforts. And enhancing integration between government agencies to double the impact of comprehensive digital transformation.