Global ICT processes for development
Most Arab countries have worked to implement the provisions of the Plan of Action of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) adopted in Geneva (2003), and the Tunis Agenda (2005). They have focused on selected aspects of the Action Plan, in line with their digital strategies and their socioeconomic needs identified in their national plans.
In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly renewed the WSIS mandate until 2025, and called for close alignment with the implementation of sustainable development plans, given that ICTs are cross-sectoral and are a means of implementation of the SDGs and of alleviating poverty. The WSIS Forum (2016) focused on supporting the implementation of the SDGs by implementing their key action lines and pursuing their detailed targets.
Important events were organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2022, including the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly held in Geneva from 1 to 9 March 2022, the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) held in Kigali from 6 to 16 June 2022, and the Plenipotentiary Conference held in Bucharest from 26 September to 14 October 2022.
The wide participation in WTDC was notable (over 150 countries, including all Arab countries and relevant stakeholders), and the Conference resulted in the adoption of a declaration and action plan aimed at promoting inclusive and meaningful connectivity and sustainable digital transformation worldwide over the period 2022–2025, and the adoption of regional initiatives that represent the main telecommunication/ICT priorities of interest for each geographical region and that all stakeholders must collaborate to implement through 2025.