​Their Highnesses open Connect the Arab World Summit 2012

His Highness the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani opened the 'Connect Arab Summit 2012' in Doha in the presence of several Heads of State and senior Ministers. 
 
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser also attended the opening as did HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani. 
 
The summit, jointly organised by the UN's information and technology agency (ITU) and the League of Arab States, is looking at ways for Arab states to work together to improve information and communications technology (ICT) development in the region.

Addressing the Summit’s opening session, His Highness the Emir said that the summit is being held amidst many crucial challenges facing the Arab nations, which must work hard to meet these challenges and protect their interests. 

'Today, no one can risk falling behind on the path of development and civilization. Nations that are aware of the digital world have already set up their worlds, civilizations and new values', he said.

He went on to say that the civilisation of science and knowledge represents a challenge for the Arab countries but he expressed great confidence in the experts, specialists and researchers of the Arab youth.  He described how technology and knowledge have become strategic tools to achieve real development and that they represent main elements in the economy of the various world countries as they overlap in many areas. 'Economic information is the basis of every action or achievement', he said. 
 
Her Highness Sheikha Moza has been a UN Millennium Development Goals Advocate since 2010 and His Highness the Emir noted that 'all actors in the Arab world including governments, private sector, civil society organizations and financing institutions must activate the role of telecommunications and information technology in the fight against poverty. They must create employment opportunities for young people and support the region's economies to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals'.   

‘We should work to bridge the knowledge, technological and digital gap between our Arab countries and developed countries that absorbed the technology, used it, and produced it to become their most important source of income," His Highness the Emir said, adding that can only established by providing telecommunications services to all citizens of Arab countries, confront the technological literacy, open the doors of modern knowledge and encourage scientific innovation and inventions. 
 
Stemming from Qatar's belief in the importance of the modern technology of communication and information, the country has made the knowledge-based economy one of its most important means to meet the challenges of economic and social development.  His Highness the Emir referred to Qatar National Vision 2030 which includes the development of the information, telecommunications and technology infrastructure among its comprehensive development vision, noting that the country is working on expanding the investment in these sectors to be a major source of the national income in the future.

In conclusion, His Highness the Emir stressed the need to communicate and promote partnerships among all Arab countries more effectively, especially after the Arab spring revolutions which imposed radical changes on the Arab arena, noting that technology had played a major and influential role in these revolutions. He expressed Qatar's readiness to cooperate and support all Arab countries or private sectors, whether through specialised scientific institutes or through individuals.