GAID in the Arab Region

The RA Network will be the Arabic focal point for the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID).

The Launch of the Regional Arabic Network

18 June 2009, Damascus, Syria

The Launch meeting aims at demonstrating the value of multi-stakeholder debates and will bring together prominent panelists to share cutting-edge ideas, innovative knowledge, experiences, expertise and best practice, and draw on contributions from all stakeholders, including governments, international organizations, businesses, NGOs and academia. It will provide a valuable opportunity to exchange strategies, plans and experiences in order to maximize the effectiveness of initiatives and to speed up and scale up efforts to meet the objectives referred to in the WSIS outcome documents and those in the Millennium Declaration.

Turning commitments into results demands a truly multi-stakeholder effort, involving not only national governments and intergovernmental organizations but also regional and local governments, the private sector, civil society, media, academia and the general public. Collaboration among all stakeholders at all levels from policy through implementation will be necessary to successfully realize our common goals.

A Steering Group for the RA Network will be established to coordinate all relevant activities and to encourage mutually beneficial communication between all stakeholders.

Hosted by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the launch meeting will be held in conjunction with the Regional Follow-up to the Outcome of the World Summit on the Information Society, 16-18 June 2009 in Damascus.