Pakistan assumed the presidency of Digital Corporation Organisation (DCO) on Thursday, succeeding Kuwait at the fifth General Assembly session of the DCO.
“I would like to reaffirm Pakistan’s unwavering support for the DCO,” said Pakistan’s IT minister Shaza Fatima, while addressing at the fifth GA session.
“Together through collaboration and shared purpose we can ensure that digital transformation delivers inclusive growth and shared prosperity for all and as a founding member Pakistan is proud to see it growing and see it prospering and working towards a shared future.”
Read more: Pakistan to assume DCO Council’s presidency in February 2026
Pakistan was one of the first five countries, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, which launched the DCO in November 2020. It was also the first to host the DCO’s Digital Foreign Direct Investment (DFDI) Forum in 2025, which attracted global leaders and investment commitments.
The annual gathering of DCO brings together representatives of various states and international organisations to discuss the digital economy and the challenges associated with its growth. This year’s theme is ‘Inclusive Prosperity in the Age of AI’.
As Council President, Pakistan will have an enhanced role in shaping the DCO’s collective workstreams, aligning shared digital priorities and strengthening cooperation on cross-border digital issues.
The leadership position is expected to amplify Pakistan’s voice on key areas such as digital skills development, innovation, inclusive growth, data governance and AI readiness, while deepening engagement with international partners.
Talking about emerging technologies and its risks, the minister noted that while these technologies bring a lot of opportunity, “ they also come with challenges that we haven’t met with before”.
She said there is a much more systematic impact of AI coming in, in addition to the tactical level issues.
“There are certain softer threats but there are also hard threats that we are looking at in this age of intelligence.”
She noted that at a more complex level, cybersecurity and cyber threats are critical issues.
“Data, which is the new gold, demands a serious conversation, particularly around indigenising AI technologies and building trust, which will remain at the core of AI adoption worldwide.”
The minister shared that Pakistan will host the SCO, assume the chair of the ECO, and take over the presidency of the DCO.
“We feel a great deal of responsibility as well to see how can we collectivity lead on these conversations and come out with solutions that are not currently present in our existing regimes, especially when we talk about cross border regulations and collaborations towards frontier threats,” she said.
The minister shared that in July last year, Pakistan approved its first National AI Policy.
Also read: Pakistan’s upcoming DCO presidency could open up new chapter in digital diplomacy
Without going into all six pillars, two are especially relevant today, she said.
“We believe in an open-source spirit of cooperation—sharing R&D [Research and Development] and standards, to ensure that the AI divide does not become a new economic divide of our time.
“As a call to action, I invite my fellow ministers to join us in building a digital trust corridor among DCO member states. As we move from generative AI to agentic AI, our innovation need to be governed by ethics, and our prosperity must be shared by all,” she concluded.
António Guterres, UN Secretary-GeneralUnited Nations, stressed that humanity must steer AI collectively, announcing upcoming UN initiatives on AI science and global governance and reaffirming cooperation with DCO to build shared guardrails and standards.
DCO Secretary General, Deemah Al Yahya (DCO) warned that AI is advancing faster than governance, risking deeper digital divides, and called for coordinated, inclusive multilateral action to turn AI into shared digital prosperity.
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