• The meeting contributes to enhancing cooperation between the GCC countries and marks a step toward achieving future aspirations in building a prosperous digital society.
• H.E. Mr. Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, emphasized the importance of Gulf cooperation efforts by member states and their role in achieving the common goals of the GCC countries.
• The GCC e-Government Ministerial Committee commended the efforts of the GCC countries in achieving advanced global rankings in the 2024 e-Government Development Index.
• The GCC e-Government Executive Committee approved the unified framework for digital accessibility for the GCC countries, which the State of Qatar prepared.

The State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), hosted the 8th meeting of the e-Government Ministerial Committee and the 28th meeting of the GCC Ministerial Committee for Post and Telecommunications in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at the Sheraton Hotel in Doha. The meeting was attended by Their Excellencies the Ministers of Communications, Information Technology, and Postal services from the GCC countries.

In his opening speech, H.E. Mr. Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, stressed the importance of cooperation between the GCC countries in the fields of communications and information technology, highlighting the significant impact of these efforts in achieving the shared goals of member states. His Excellency stated: "Our cooperation today reflects the depth of the friendly and long-standing ties between our countries, and our mutual commitment to enhancing integration and unifying efforts in the postal and communications sectors, which play a crucial role in developing our national economies and enhancing competitiveness at both the regional and international levels."

H.E the Minister added: "We are confident that this meeting will contribute to strengthening cooperation between the GCC countries and will be an important step towards realizing our aspirations in building a prosperous and secure digital society. What we have achieved so far is just the beginning of a series of achievements we aim to accomplish by establishing a strong and advanced technology sector that contributes to creating new job opportunities and seeks to increase investments by adopting innovative business models and localizing the latest technological advancements."

In this context, the ministerial committee discussed several topics on the agenda, including the launch of the e-Government Strategic Framework 2024-2030, as well as reviewing the minutes of the committees and teams affiliated with the GCC e-Government Executive Committee. This included the minutes of the Joint Electronic Services Working Group, the Unified Software and Hardware Purchase Working Group, the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies Working Group, and the Digital Trust Services Working Group.

The Meetings also reviewed the establishment of a temporary working group to monitor the implementation of digital accessibility standards and discussed the outcomes of the 26th meeting of the GCC e-Government Executive Committee, held in June 2024, which approved the unified framework for digital accessibility for the GCC countries, prepared by the State of Qatar.

The Meetings further addressed the terms of the GCC Digital Government Award, the presentation by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the Internet Governance Forum, and the rankings of the GCC countries in the 2024 e-Government Development Index. In conclusion, the GCC e-Government Ministerial Committee praised the efforts of the GCC countries for achieving advanced global rankings in the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI). The committee decided to circulate the report from the General Secretariat to all of the GCC countries.