At the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, a plenary discussion took place under the title "Digital Sovereignty in the Era of Rapid Technological Change." During the event, key challenges faced by governments and countries in maintaining a balance between managed state digital infrastructure, data, technologies, preserved competitiveness, and innovation were discussed.
One of the participants in the discussion, engineer Mohammed ben Talia, president of the State Services of the OAE, emphasized that the OAE adopts a preventive approach to the issues of technological development, which allowed it to be one of the first countries to launch strategies and policies in the field of digital transformation. The OAE built a modern, flexible, and ready technological digital infrastructure, turning many challenges into real opportunities and using technology for effective improvements in state services.
Ben Talia also noted that the governments of the world face a number of challenges that require a reassessment of their role in the digital environment and achieving balance in digital sovereignty to ensure security and extract benefits from technologies without undermining digital sovereignty. He highlighted the importance of strengthening the position of states in the digital environment through the development of policies and strategies, continuous support for digital transformation, the exchange of innovative experiences and ideas to understand the true meaning of digital sovereignty.
Creating partnerships and cooperation in policy and legislative development will help support the sustainability of government efforts in ensuring the essential independence for digital sovereignty. Ben Talia shared the OAE strategy in digital transformation and leading experience in the field of digital transformation of state services, including the establishment of a high-level committee on state digital transformation, improving governance and development of digital systems of state services, enhancing readiness, competitiveness and flexibility among projects and digital systems of agencies, as well as coordinating efforts and increasing interactions between state institutions to enhance the influence of a comprehensive digital transformation.
