Your Excellency, H.E. Mohamed Bin Thamer Al Kaabi, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunication of the Kingdom of Bahrain,
Mr. Khaled Meqwad, UN Resident Coordinator in the Kingdom of Bahrain
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning to you all, those gathered here in person and those participating online. It is a distinct honor to welcome you to the Regional Development Forum for the Arab States region, or RDF as we call it.
This marks the first in-person RDF in the region since 2019, although we conducted a virtual event in 2020. But, meeting each other face to face gives us an opportunity for in-depth engagement.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Bahrain and, in particular, to the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunication of the Kingdom of Bahrain for their generous support and for graciously hosting our Forum this week.
The RDF is not merely another assembly.
We want to produce rapid, focused, and collective impact, the impact of seeing everyone benefit from a digital future, even as we seek to use digital to overcome the consequences of climate change, among other global connectivity challenges.
The goal is to ensure that no one is left behind and the Sustainable Development Goals are achieved.
However, amid these challenges lie the tremendous opportunities offered by digital transformation.
The Arab States region sees good, solid progress. According to our ITU data, 96 per cent of the region is covered by 3G mobile cellular network.
Some 69 per cent of individuals estimated to be using the Internet in the region this year, although this figure averages out a clear gap between urban and rural communities. Rural growth however has seen an impressive leap forward in the last four years.
There is always more to do. We want everyone connected to put the building blocks for a digital future in place.
Our vision is big, guided by the Kigali Action plan as decided at the 2022 World Telecommunication Development Conference.
The Regional Initiatives for the Arab States adopted in Kigali serve as the compass for our work in the region. These include: sustainable digital economy; confidence and security in ICTs; development of digital infrastructure; digital innovation and entrepreneurship, and the development of means of digital regulation.
We believe that pledges made by partners in the ambit of the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition towards specific ICT development priorities of the Arab States region and individual countries, can advance these Regional Initiatives further. This is why the matchmaking of the P2C pledges with the connectivity needs of Member States is a key component of this forum.
Of the 812 pledges made so far, 134 of them valued at 11.58 billion USD are directed for implementation in the Arab States region. These have been made by 69 entities coming from 32 countries.
Some 54 per cent of the pledges are made by organizations from out of the region, signifying solid commitment and true multistakeholder action.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Through the matchmaking, we want to move from pledges to concrete commitments to finance the connectivity needs of the region.
It is a great opportunity for all - for the region and also for partners, and we equally extend invitations for new pledges.
The ITU is conscious that the digital divide is still glaring with 2.6 billion people still offline globally. It is the motivating factor for the quest to accelerate digital transformation. We continue to advance our work in countries, and paying special attention to LDCs, LLDCs and countries in special need. Our work spans support to countries in the development of regulatory frameworks, digital infrastructure, advancing digital innovation and digital services, and also encouraging digital entrepreneurship.
We are mindful of the need to promote trust, confidence and security in ICTs, and have supported cybersecurity initiatives in the region.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I believe that this RDF will serve as a catalyst to galvanize digital transformation prospects here.
The Arab region has solid advantages: immense power, vast markets, strong players, abundant resources, and highly favourable demographics.
With huge offshore submarine cable connectivity, it can be a major digital hub.
It is a hub for ITU too, having hosted a number of our global events from the Global Symposium for Regulators to the World Radiocommunication Conference starting in a few days.
Here, we see transformative, mega initiatives conceived and poised to inspire the world.
We see vibrant entrepreneurial spirit, including growing, active female participation.
Most of all, in this region, we see ambition.
Digital transformation can turn that ambition into game-changing impact and a digital future worth working for.
I believe the time is here for us to collectively set a course to make it happen, and for many millions to benefit.
Thank you!
