Pakistan joins Digital Cooperation Organization, launched by Saudi Arabia, as founding member: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday joined the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) as a founding member, launched at a virtual event, hosted by Abdullah Al-Swaha, the Minister of Communication and Information Technology of Saudi Arabia.

Established under an initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, other countries that have been invited to join as founding members include Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and the UAE, a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said.

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi participated with a video statement.

Lauding the far-sighted initiative of the Saudi Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Foreign Minister Qureshi noted that, at a time when the digital economy was estimated to be worth over USD 11 trillion and was set to expand further in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the creation of DCO would cater to the growing need of international cooperation and collaboration in the digital domain.

DCO would offer a platform to promote the global digital agenda in the scientific, health, educational, commercial, social, agricultural, investment and security spheres, he added.

Digital Diplomacy has been a core component of the Foreign Minister’s Public Diplomacy Initiative.

The Foreign Minister chairs a dedicated Digital Diplomacy working group comprising some of Pakistan’s brightest IT experts, to bring innovation and enhance Pakistan’s digital diplomacy footprint.

For countries like Pakistan, with a talented and well-trained pool of human resource sought globally, the information revolution presents a unique opportunity to leapfrog the development deficit.

Pakistan’s membership of DCO would contribute to the attainment of that objective.