Egypt Chairs 58th Ordinary Session of ATICM Executive Bureau
Egypt, represented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), has chaired the 58th Ordinary Session of the Executive Bureau of the Arab Telecommunications and Information Council of Ministers (ATICM), hosted by the Technical Secretariat of the League of Arab States (LAS) in the Republic of Tunisia.
Representatives of the Executive Bureau's eight member states took part: the Arab Republic of Egypt (Chair), the United Arab Emirates (Vice Chair), the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Republic of Tunisia, the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Republic of Djibouti, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Republic of Iraq.
The meeting adopted the outcomes and recommendations of the 49th meeting of the Arab Permanent Postal Commission (APPC), which covered several priority topics, most notably the Regional Development Plan for the Arab Region for 2026-2029, the report and recommendations of the Arab postal working groups' meetings, the 2026 Arab Stamp Exhibition, and the restructuring of APPC's specialized technical committee.
The Executive Bureau also adopted the report and recommendations of the 57th meeting of the Arab Permanent Committee for ICT, covering agenda items that included preparations for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-26) next November, support for Arab candidacies at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), follow-up on the implementation of ATICM's recommendations, matters related to Palestine, the Arab ICT Strategy (Arab Digital Agenda), the Arab International Digital Cooperation and Development Forum (DCDF), follow-up on the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the Global Digital Compact, Arab-Chinese cooperation, and the First Arab Regional Forum on Early Warning Systems and Disaster Preparedness.
The meeting further reviewed the activities of entities holding observer status with ATICM, namely the ITU Regional office for Arab States, the Arab ICT Organization (AICTO), the Arab Regulators Network of Telecommunications and Information Technologies (AREGNET), and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport. Other agenda items addressed included strengthening Arab cooperation with regional groups, organizations, and relevant partners in ICT.
The Executive Bureau was briefed as well on the outcomes of the founding meetings of the Arab Permanent Committee for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies. The Committee held its first founding meeting in Cairo last May, followed by a second in the Republic of Tunisia in July. At the July meeting, the chairs and vice-chairs of the Committee's technical working groups were elected, completing its organizational structure and putting its technical teams into operation.
Egypt was elected chair of the AI Governance Working Group and the Quantum Computing Working Group; Saudi Arabia was elected chair of the AI Capacity Building and Partnerships Working Group; Libya was elected chair of the AI Data and Digital Infrastructure Working Group; Tunisia was elected chair of the AI Innovation and Technological Solutions Working Group; and Palestine was elected chair of the Emerging Technologies Working Group.
The meeting also addressed arrangements for the upcoming 30th Session of ATICM, the 59th session of its Executive Bureau, and the 58th meeting of the Arab Permanent Committee for ICT.