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The pandemic has also revealed and exacerbated the challenges we still face in addressing the digital divide between developed and least developed countries. We still have more than half of the world’s population who are not connected to the internet and therefore unable to benefit from the power of the digital economy. As many of us know, the digital economy is growing at an ever-faster rate, and according to World Economic Forum data, an estimated 70 percent of new value created in the economy over the next decade will be based on the digital economy. People who lack access to digital technologies now will be further marginalised as the digital economy grows, particularly women, the elderly, those with disabilities, indigenous groups, or those who live in poor, remote or rural areas. The importance of an effective digital economy became clear to me personally when I visited some brilliant young entrepreneurs in Jordan who had established an online learning platform for students. Despite significant demand and unmet need for their education solutions, they were faced with 18 months of work solely to navigate the different regulatory processes associated with expanding their offering globally. The speed of technology makes it a challenge for governments to work together in creating the necessary regulations, privacy standards, and infrastructure to support an inclusive and sustainable digital economy. In times of growing inequality, we simply must offer more integrated and seamless digital environments so that our Jordanian entrepreneurs and others can help solve the problems that our world faces. These opportunities and challenges are why Secretary-General António Guterres (pictured above) released the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation in 2020, which reflects how important the digital economy is to a better and more sustainable future. The roadmap also recognises that we need to work together on this global issue. Global digital cooperation is one of eight areas for action within the roadmap, defined broadly as involving cooperation between countries, multilateral organisations such as the UN, and the private sector. The good news is that alliances are forming to help address these challenges and drive the global digital agenda, including right here in the Middle East. The Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO) was formed in 2020 to create digital prosperity for all. The DCO includes Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, with our membership set to increase significantly over the coming years. Reflecting the importance of speed in the digital economy, in our first year we have brought together countries representing 480 million people, 270 million of which are under the age of 25, and $2 trillion in combined GDP, to focus our collective efforts on digital economic inclusion and bridging the digital divide. We have also created initiatives spanning regulatory co-operation, digital empowerment of youth and women, building from a 34 percent female digital participation rate across our members. The private sector has been a focus of our work, recognising that the 6,300 digital start-ups and 46 million small and medium sized enterprises across our countries will provide speed in connecting people to the digital economy. Covid-19 has revealed the importance of digital economy to change and sustain lives like never before. Despite our membership originating in this part of the world, we have a truly global outlook and look forward to bringing these benefits to a broader range of member countries in the future, and to supporting the UN and other multilateral organisations in our collective endeavours. This is why our organisation and the UN held a General Assembly event last week entitled ‘Shaping an Inclusive Digital Future’, to bring together countries, the private sector and other organisations to work together on digital collaboration. This meeting and our organisation’s approach recognises that digital solutions will come from many sources. We will also benefit from partnering with and learning from other organisations. We have seen how quickly this approach can serve humanity through the development of Covid-19 vaccinations. I applaud and welcome the efforts of our member states on their efforts to date, and look forward to shortly announcing further private sector, government and regional partnerships that demonstrate the broad and deep commitment to our collective cause. If you are wondering how your organisation or government can contribute to expanding digital access and a better post-Covid world, join us. Our organisation is built on inclusivity, and we will seek out and build constructive partnerships wherever and whenever they have a meaningful impact in creating digital prosperity for all. I look forward to continuing our journey together in shaping an inclusive digital age.