Digital Cooperation Organization

The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) is a global multilateral body launched in November 2020. It aims at enabling digital prosperity for all by accelerating the sustainable and inclusive growth of the digital economy and facilitating cooperation in response to the dynamic challenges of the digital era. Created to address the diverse aspects of the digital landscape, the DCO seeks to encourage cooperation among Member States in areas including digital innovation and digital governance. As of January 2024, Member States include Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cyprus, Djibouti, The Gambia, Ghana, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Rwanda and Saudi Arabia.

History
The Digital Cooperation Organization was launched in November 2020 by five countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Pakistan. On April 12, 2021, the Organization announced the accession of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Sultanate of Oman, and that they were considered two founding members, alongside the previously mentioned Member States.

In 2021, Deemah AlYahya from Saudi Arabia was elected as Secretary-General of the DCO, during the Kingdom's presidency of the Organization. In February 2022, the Kingdom of Bahrain was appointed to the Presidency of the DCO. His Excellency Mohamed bin Thamer Al Kaabi, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications of the Kingdom of Bahrain, became the Chairman of the Council of the DCO.

In 2022, the Digital Cooperation Organization was granted a United Nations General Assembly observer status after the United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee adopted draft resolution. The Resolution was later adopted by the General Assembly on 7 December 2022.

In September 2023, Bangladesh became a Member State after Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the People's Republic of Bangladesh's state Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, and the DCO Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya signed the agreement at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, which took place on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly. During the same month, the State of Qatar became a Member State of the DCO.

By the end of 2023, the DCO has issued several white papers, reports, and entrepreneur startup guides highlighting the impact of several factors such as misinformation and disinformation on the internet and social networks and the ways to combat it in the digital economy, developing interoperability mechanisms to enable cross-border data flows, digital taxation and policy implications regarding the metaverse, among others.

Digital FDI
The DCO launched an initiative with the World Economic Forum on May 25, 2022, to facilitate cross-border investment in the digital economy through digital foreign direct investment. The Digital FDI initiative will be delivered as a joint effort between the two and will implement projects in several countries to help grow Digital FDI at a country level. The first digital FDI project will take place in Nigeria.

Startup Passport
The DCO Startup Passport, launched in February 2022, aims to reduce administrative and financial burdens, and accelerate corporate registration and other processes for entrepreneurs in one DCO Member State to enter the markets of other DCO Member States. The initiative will be rolled out initially in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.

DCO Global Roundtable Series
In June 2022, as part of the DCO pledge during the ITU Partner2Connect, DCO has hosted the first in a planned series of global roundtables, to take place on five continents. The global roundtables were held in Kigali in Africa, Santiago in South America, New York City in North America, Brussels in Europe, and Bangkok in Asia with 35 government, international organization, and private sector leaders in attendance. Each roundtable brought together around 50 stakeholders. The outcomes of these roundtables were consolidated into the "Bridging the Gap" report, which highlighted key challenges to a more inclusive digital economy and provided recommendations for a path forward. The report was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier in 2023.

DCO Observers
The DCO is supported by Observer partner organizations taken from international organizations, academic institutions, NGOs, and private sector companies. The DCO observers are world-leading organizations who collaborate with the DCO, sharing their expertise and perspectives on how to accelerate progress in the digital economy.

On May 18, 2022, Saudi Telecom Company joined as an Observer. KPMG joined the DCO as an Observer in August 2022. In March 2023, the DCO announced six new Observers: BTECH - the Bahrain Technology Companies Society; Deloitte; The Islamic Development Bank; Mobily; Eutelsat OneWeb and Visa.

List of DCO Observers

 * AfriLabs
 * American College of Cardiology
 * Benefit
 * Boubyan Bank
 * Bahrain Technology Companies Society - Btech
 * Centro de Estudios de la Realidad Económica y Social (CERES)
 * Cluj IT
 * COMSATS University Islamabad
 * The DataSphere Initiative Foundation
 * Deloitte
 * Elm
 * Fundación País Digital
 * Al Hussein Technical University - HTU
 * IBM
 * The Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan - Int@j
 * Islamic Development Bank - IsDB
 * KPMG
 * Mobily
 * Nortal
 * National University of Sciences and Technology - NUST
 * Nvidia
 * The Entrepreneurial and Investment Project Management Company - Oasis500
 * Omantel
 * Oracle
 * OneWeb
 * Pakistan IT Industry Association - P@SHA
 * Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd. - PTCL
 * Saudi Telecom Company
 * Thiqah
 * Tools & Solutions T&S
 * United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
 * University College London
 * VISA
 * Whiteshield

United Nations Group of Friends for Digital Cooperation
Five Member States of the DCO including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Cyprus, Pakistan, and Rwanda have launched the "United Nations Group of Friends for Digital Cooperation" initiative at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on the event held on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly meetings. The initiative is set to lead global support and sustainable growth for the digital economy, enabling social inclusivity on a global scale. Secretary-General of the DCO Deemah AlYahya emphasized that the group was launched as an initiative from the DCO to facilitate international, multi-stakeholder action and cooperation in the realignment of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Partnerships
The DCO signed an MOU with the Smart Africa Alliance on June 9, 2022, to collaborate and exchange digital solutions and knowledge to empower women, youth, and entrepreneurs. In May 2022, the DCO and GSMA signed an agreement to provide DCO Member States with access to GSMA's Capacity Building online learning portal, to give policymakers and regulators of DCO Member States training and other resources.

Digital Prosperity Awards
In August 2023, the DCO unveiled the launch of the Digital Prosperity Awards, an award given to the individuals and organizations for their digital contributions, particularly those that advance the digital economy. The Digital Transformation Award recognizes initiatives that leverage digital technologies to improve decision-making processes, promote advancement, and contribute to overall prosperity.

In every category, a laureate is selected from both the public sector and either the private sector or civil society, exclusively representing the DCO Member States. Those from the private sector or civil society are qualified for the DCO Member Prize for Digital Prosperity for All. Furthermore, a global civil society finalist is chosen for each category, open to public nominations, and the final awardee receives the DCO International Prize for Digital Prosperity for All.