Cyprus has become the first European country to join the Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO) headquartered in Saudi Arabia.
DCO was established in 2020 with aim to bring together nations, business, civil society, academics, and R&D institutions to promote social prosperity through more inclusive participation and growth across the digital economy.
DCO has seven founding member nations Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The news in Saudi Press Agency stated that “The Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO) welcomed the Republic of Cyprus as the latest member state to join DCO’s global ecosystem focused on digital prosperity for all. The Republic of Cyprus is the first European Union country to join the DCO, an international organization that aims to accelerate the inclusive growth of the digital economy to drive sustainable growth and empower nations.”
The Republic of Cyprus, represented by the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy (DMRID) has become the 11th nation to join DCO.
“The Republic of Cyprus is very pleased to be joining the Digital Cooperation Organisation and becoming a part of this great effort to accelerate the growth of the digital economy and build a sustainable, inclusive and prosperous future for all,” said Kyriacos Kokkinos, the Deputy Minister to the President for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy.
“In the face of many challenges, and while socioeconomic global developments and technological evolution continue to take place and evolve, international cooperation in the digital sphere is a powerful investment in our shared future.”
Prior to this DCO had welcomed members Rwanda, and Morocco.
In DCO’s first meeting in April 2021 several agreements were reached, one of which was that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would hold the presidency of the organization until the end of the current term. In addition, Deemah Al-Yahya from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was appointed as Secretary General of the organization.
Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the DCO welcomed Cyprus as a new member state.
She said, “We are very pleased that the Republic of Cyprus has chosen to become the eleventh member state of the DCO, today with the leadership of Cyprus, marks a major milestone for DCO, where the 1st European nation has joined the DCO. We are focused on fostering an international ecosystem for knowledge sharing and cooperation to promote digital prosperity for all, and the accession of Cyprus is an important milestone as we grow the DCO’s reach into a global organisation with member states that reflect a diversity of experience and strategic approaches.
“Many of the strategic initiatives that have been undertaken by Cyprus are in alignment with the DCO’s own objectives, such as programs to reduce barriers for digital startups and to foster entrepreneurship; and initiatives to advance inclusion for women, youth, and other underrepresented populations in the digital economy. Cyprus is also a good example of how nations can use smart policies and strategy to create a solid foundation for an equitable digital economy, and we look forward to engaging Cypriot expertise with the rest of the DCO to share knowledge, experience and best practice on driving digital prosperity.”
