New York – Today, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) convening in UN Headquarters in New York, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) and the Government of Egypt co-hosted a special high-level event titled ‘Enabling a Digital Arab States Region to Advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda’, aiming to accelerate collective action to bridge the digital divide across the Arab States region; promote equitable access to digital services for underserved communities; foster digital financial inclusion; and expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance policy and decision making to address climate challenge. 

The D4SD meeting this year featured a series of ministerial- level roundtable discussions on how public and private investments in digital public infrastructure can drive economic growth and resilience, and announced a set of new collaborative initiatives, including a pioneering report with the World Bank on Digital Public Infrastructure in the Arab States region; the establishment of a “Futures Skills Academy,” with the Mohamed bin Rashed Al-Maktoom Foundation; and new a partnership with the Emirati Telecommunications leader e& to enhance digital inclusion, digitally enable micro-, small, and medium enterprises and expand the use of AI to foster climate residence. 

“Alone, no country in Isolation will be able to achieve the digital transformation required to drive progress towards the SDGs by 2030. In our region and across the globe, multi-stakeholder cooperation and partnerships are critical to drive action at the scale and pace required,” said Abdallah Al-Dardari, UN Assistant Secretary general and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States at UNDP. “We are happy to co-host with Egypt, this second convocation of the D4SD, which is rapidly proving itself as an effective platform in this vein, epitomizing the UN Secretary-General’s digital roadmap and the new UN Global Digital Compact that the Summit of the Future is agreeing upon this year." 

“Egypt is on a path toward building a safe and sustainable digital society, one that places the citizen at the center of all aspects of life. We are creating a participatory, paperless digital government, supported by an efficient infrastructure that guarantees easy access to government services for all. This approach is the cornerstone of our Digital Egypt strategy, and it ensures equality of access—not just online but also through Egypt Post offices and call centers to ensure inclusivity.” Said H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Egypt. “Egypt remains eager to learn from global experiences and equally eager to share our own, which could serve as a model for others. The D4SD forum is an opportunity to showcase the best practices in our Arab region when it comes to digital infrastructure and public digital goods.”

This year’s event represented the second global meeting of the Digital for Sustainable Development (D4SD) Partnership – a multi-stakeholder digital cooperation platform for the Arab States region that was launched at UNGA-78 last year. D4SD brings together public and private partners to take concrete steps together, design programmes, share experiences and align initiatives towards a digitally inclusive region that ensures no one is left behind.   

In UNGA78, UNDP, with partners, issued a Call to Action last year, pledging unwavering commitment, individually and collectively, to take concrete steps to advance digitalization to help accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Media Contact: 

UNDP | Lujain Ramadan | Program Analyst - Digital for Development | lujain.ramadan@undp.org  

About UNDP: UNDP is the leading United Nations organisation fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow us at @UNDP. 

About the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Egypt (MCIT): 

MCIT leads Egypt’s digital transformation strategy, promoting innovation, expanding digital access, and using technology to advance sustainable development.