During the 8th GCC eGovernment Ministerial Committee meeting held in Qatar, which discussed the launch of eGovernment Guidance Strategy (2024-2030) as well as approving the unified digital asset framework that was prepared by Qatar. The committee also reviewed the minutes of sub-committee meetings, which included discussions on joint electronic services, unified software procurement, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and digital trust services teams.

In his opening speech, HE the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed bin Ali al-Mannai stressed the importance of co-operation between the GCC countries in the fields of communications and information technology, highlighting the significant impact of these efforts in achieving the shared goals of member states.

He said: “Our co-operation today reflects the depth of the friendly and long-standing ties between our countries, and our mutual commitment to enhancing integration and unifying efforts in the postal and communications sectors, which play a crucial role in developing our national economies and enhancing competitiveness at both the regional and international levels.”

The minister added: “We are confident that this meeting will contribute to strengthening co-operation between the GCC countries and will be an important step towards realizing our aspirations in building a prosperous and secure digital society. What we have achieved so far is just the beginning of a series of achievements we aim to accomplish by establishing a strong and advanced technology sector that contributes to creating new job opportunities and seeks to increase investments by adopting innovative business models and localizing the latest technological advancements.”

The committee discussed key issues on agenda, including the launch of the eGovernment Guidance Strategy (2024-2030), developed under the leadership of Bahrain, which realigns the vision, goals and work plans aimed at meeting current trends and future challenges.

This follows the completion of the previous strategy launched in 2014, which helped GCC countries achieve high rankings in the United Nations eGovernment Readiness Survey and laid the groundwork for digital transformation within the member states.

The committee has approved the unified framework for digital access for GCC countries prepared by Qatar.

It praised Saudi Arabia’s Digital Government Authority for successfully hosting the fifth edition of the GCC Digital Government Award during the second Digital Government Forum in December last year and approved a proposal to organize the award annually in the country holding the presidency.

Qatar recently announced its digital assets framework in September 2024.