An official at the Algerian Foreign Ministry said, on Monday, that his country was able to provide the necessary arrangements for holding the Arab summit for the first time “without papers,” adding that it “is considered a precedent in the history of Arab summits.”
The project was crystallized after the experience of Egypt through the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, and the preparatory meetings at the level of foreign ministers took place without using papers.
According to the director of the modernization of diplomatic work at the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oqba Shabi, “Algeria has made important strides in the areas of digital transformation and the use of information and communication technology, which allowed it to provide all the necessary conditions for the Algiers Summit 2022 to be the first Arab summit without paper.”
The official added, according to the Algerian News Agency, that in recent months:
• Forming working groups in the various institutions of the country to consider the possibility of embodying the idea.
• Elaboration of the project and its implementation.
• Holding all four preparatory meetings for Arab foreign ministers prior to the summit without paper.
• Providing high-tech software and computers to all participating delegations, including drafts and draft resolutions.
• Enable delegates to follow up on changes through advanced devices.
• Enlisting logistical preparations for the summit in order to conserve natural resources, be able to store and archive documents and make electronic signatures.
Algeria seeks to achieve several goals behind the digital transformation of the Arab Summit, according to Shabi, most notably the provision of paper, as previous summits witnessed the use of about a ton to a ton and a half of paper in all of its meetings, in addition to providing printing equipment, human cadres, time and costs.
The expert in international relations, Michael Clark, says, “The Arab summit is an opportunity for Arab leaders to discuss and discuss issues of interest to the Arab street in the midst of the Ukrainian crisis, such as energy and food issues, as well as discussing the Palestinian issue, which is one of the most important issues that the summit will address.”
He added to “Sky News Arabia”, that “Algeria sought to make the Arab summit the first digital summit that keeps pace with technological developments, and this is a trend that is considered the first of its kind and should be commended.”
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