The President of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy calls for an Arab -international digital charter to achieve digital sovereignty

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Abu Dhabi on April 8 / WAM / His Excellency Dr. Ali Muhammad Al -Khoury, Advisor to the Council of Arab Economic Unity and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy, with the experience of the United Arab Emirates as an applicable model in the rest of the Arab countries to achieve digital sovereignty, citing projects such as the huge data center for artificial intelligence in Abu Dhabi, and the development of the Masdar City as a center for innovation and clean technology.

He called for the establishment of the “Arab-International Digital Economy Charter”, based on three main axes: the establishment of a joint Arab-international fund for the digital economy, the development of a unified organizational environment that enhances digital cooperation and investment across borders, and the launch of regional centers for innovation and the development of digital talents in the Arab world.

This came in a major speech in the “Chinese Investment Forum” within the framework of the activities of the “AIM” Investment Summit that started yesterday in Abu Dhabi, where it dealt with the importance of Arab regional and international partnerships to achieve digital sovereignty in the Arab region.

During his speech, Dr. Al -Khoury touched on the deep transformations witnessed by the global economy, noting that the standards of power and international influence no longer depend on the geographical boundaries or commercial activity, but rather are measured by the extent of countries possessing digital infrastructure, the ability to develop technology, and use it in building an advanced knowledge economy.

He pointed out that the Arab world, despite the progress in the Internet communication rates, still faces great challenges in the field of digital infrastructure, as Arab countries host less than 2% of international data centers, which constitutes a strategic loophole that requires treatment.

He stressed that the Arab countries are facing a reality that requires reformulating their position in the global digital system, not only by updating the infrastructure, but also by entering into regional and international partnerships that contribute to enabling them to modern digital sovereignty tools.

In this context, he explained that the Arab Federation for Digital Economy places at the core of its priorities to build strategic partnerships with institutions and countries with compatible visions, with the aim of accelerating the pace of digital transformation in the Arab region and supporting national economies by advanced and sustainable means.

Dr. Al -Khoury emphasized that the partnership with China, through the “Belt and Digital Road” initiative, represents a strategic opportunity to enhance Arab digital capabilities, pointing out that this partnership has begun to bear fruit in concrete projects, such as developing artificial intelligence in the Arabic language in Riyadh in cooperation with “Huawei”, and converting the Suez Canal area in Cairo into a center for the production of semiconductors by supporting Chinese investments, and expanding global technology companies in Casablanca in the fields of research and development.

It should be noted that the “Chinese Investment Forum” is organized within the activities of the annual investment summit “AIM 2025”, which is held in Abu Dhabi with the wide participation of government leaders, investors and experts from different countries of the world. The organization of the forum this year comes in conjunction with the fortieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates and the People’s Republic of China, and aims to highlight the opportunities for economic and investment cooperation between China and the countries of the world, especially in light of the accelerating changes in the global economy.