DCO Charter - Lebanon Signs Tech Agreement

Lebanon formally joined the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) as a Signatory Member by signing the DCO Charter during an official ceremony held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a move that advances the country’s digital transformation and opens avenues for multilateral technological collaboration. The charter was signed by Dr. Kamal Shehadi, Minister of Displaced and Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence of Lebanon, who delivered the signed document to Deemah AlYahya, Secretary‑General of the DCO. Alongside the accession, the Lebanon Digital Prosperity Plan was unveiled to translate strategic objectives into operational programs focused on telecommunications, regulation, skills and private‑sector investment.

"With every country that joins, the point becomes clearer: digital prosperity is work that nations share and through which they write their own future," said Deemah AlYahya, Secretary‑General of the Digital Cooperation Organization, underlining the multilateral intent behind the DCO’s expansion.

Dr. Kamal Shehadi framed the signing as strategic for Lebanon’s competitiveness in the regional digital economy. "Signing the DCO Charter represents a strategic step in Lebanon’s journey toward building a more competitive digital economy that is increasingly connected to regional and global opportunities," he said at the handover ceremony at the DCO headquarters.

Context and details

The DCO accession formalizes Lebanon’s path to full Member State status and provides immediate access to the organization’s network of international partnerships, technical expertise and digital knowledge exchange. The Lebanon Digital Prosperity Plan, launched concurrently, identifies key development pillars intended to accelerate the country’s integration into broader tech ecosystems:

• Telecommunications infrastructure upgrades
• Modern regulatory frameworks for digital markets
• Workforce upskilling and education initiatives
• Private‑sector investment and AI ecosystem development

Lebanon enters the DCO with measurable structural strengths: an internet penetration rate of roughly 91% in 2024 and a domestic information and telecommunications sector of about 550 companies. These assets present a sizeable pool of software engineering and entrepreneurial talent positioned to engage in cross‑border projects and attract technology partnerships.

The move also aligns with a wider expansion within the DCO. The DCO Council recently approved the addition of eight candidate nations, a step that will increase total membership from 16 to 24 countries once full accession is complete. The enlarged organization will represent a combined population of nearly 980 million people, a footprint that DCO leadership says will deepen collaborative opportunities across the digital economy.

Outlook

Lebanon’s accession is intended to accelerate practical cooperation in AI adoption, regulatory alignment and skills development, leveraging the DCO’s multilateral platforms to connect local firms with international markets. For Lebanese startups and established ICT firms—numbering roughly 550—the membership creates pathways to market access, technical assistance and joint programs with other member states. Implementation of the Lebanon Digital Prosperity Plan will determine how effectively those opportunities translate into domestic investment, infrastructure upgrades and workforce outcomes.

As the DCO expands to 24 members, Lebanon’s participation will be watched as a test case for how middle‑income economies can use multilateral digital frameworks to drive AI ecosystem growth and private‑sector engagement while modernizing regulatory and telecommunications backbones.