Qatar participated in the 29th session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Communications and Information, held in Cairo Thursday. The Qatari delegation to the session was headed by Assistant Undersecretary for Infrastructure and Operations Affairs at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Sami Mohammed al-Shammari.
In statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the sidelines of the meeting, al-Shammari said that Qatar's participation aims to strengthen partnerships and expand joint Arab co-operation in the fields of communications and information technology. He noted that the rapid acceleration in information and communications technology and artificial intelligence necessitates the unification of efforts and visions related to ICT and its fast-evolving landscape.
He added that Qatar has achieved significant advances in this sector in recent years, expressing Qatar's aspiration to share its expertise and partnerships developed during the past period with other Arab countries. He also emphasized that information technology requires regional and global alignment, explaining that coordination will begin at the Arab level as a step toward unifying Arab positions in regional forums.
For his part, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Economic Affairs Sector at the League of Arab States, Ambassador Dr Ali bin Ibrahim al-Malki, stated in similar remarks to QNA that the meeting addressed several issues related to communications technology, information technology, and postal services. Among the most notable outcomes, he said, was the approval of the establishment of a Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies as a permanent committee under the Council of Arab Ministers of Communications, in addition to the adoption of the Arab Ethical Charter for Artificial Intelligence, which serves as a guiding and advisory framework for Arab states.
He noted that the session also discussed a range of key issues and challenges facing the communications sector in general, reviewed achievements made during the previous period, and examined other matters related to communications technology and postal services. He highlighted that one of the most significant achievements was granting the State of Palestine full membership in the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and raising the Palestinian flag at the Union for the first time.
