DEAD SEA - His Majesty King Abdullah attended the closing ceremony of the MENA ICT Forum 2013 on Thursday, which witnessed the launch of partnerships between local, regional and international companies to boost cooperation in the field of ICT.

During the event, organisers announced the launch of the Internet Freedom Declaration, which underlines the need for supporting the freedom of the Internet in the Arab world and enhancing its role in the socio-economic development in the region.

The organisers also launched a coalition representing several entities from the Arab world to support the participation of women in the ICT sector.

His Majesty also viewed a documentary on the developments in the ICT sector and Jordan’s contribution in the field of mobile applications and apps for smartphones. 

King Abdullah also toured an exhibition held on the sidelines of the forum that displayed the latest achievements and applications in the field of ICT by local, regional and international companies.

At the conclusion of the event, the participants issued several recommendations, calling for efforts to boost the competitiveness of the ICT sector in the region and enhancing the integration of ICT in other sectors.

They also underlined the need for extending support to incubators that provide training and assistance to entrepreneurs in the sector, highlighting the potential for cooperation and growth within the sector.

Several challenges facing the sector were also reviewed during the event, including the need for the development of the legislation governing the sector and creating funds for supporting initiatives in the field.

The event was held by the ICT Association of Jordan (int@j) in partnership with the Arab ICT Organisation (IJMA3) and the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.