Leaders, presidents, ministers, businessmen, industry and academia convene in Doha to take part in the Connect Arab Summit held from 5 to 7 March 2012.
The three- day conference is organized by the Arab ICT Ministers Council, in cooperation with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Digital inclusion, youth employment and broadband are the main challenges facing the Arab region looking forward to enhance the ICT technologies role and unleash young people innovation and creativity.
Although the Arab world is now one of the world’s most connected regions, it still encompasses countries where connectivity remains low by world standards. According to the ITU, the average fixed broadband penetration in the Arab region is at just 2.2%, while regions such as Asia & Pacific, Americas and Europe have reached an average of 6.2%, 15.5% and 25.8% respectively.
Top-level representatives from over 20 delegations, including six heads of State and government, 27 government ministers and ICT leaders from some of the world’s most dynamic companies meet in Doha to map out the policies and strategies that will unleash the next wave of market opportunities and growth across the Arab region.
Participants at the summit from across the region and around the world get together in a series of high-level discussion panels and roundtables focused on five main conference themes: cyber security, access and infrastructure, digital content and multilingualism, ICT innovation and youth.
During this Summit, Egypt presents a number of initiatives that represent a framework of cooperation with the Arab countries in the ICT field during the coming phase. These initiatives include the Arab content for the Arab world, the child internet safety, the memory of the Arab world and the ICT indicators portal.