Lebanon signs DCO Charter, expanding regional digital ties with Cyprus

Lebanon has signed the Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO) Charter, paving the way for the country to become a full member of the organisation and creating new opportunities for cooperation with Cyprus and other DCO member states. The agreement was signed in Riyadh by Kamal Shehadi, Lebanon’s Minister of Displaced and Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence, and formally handed to Deemah AlYahya, Secretary General of the DCO, during a ceremony at the organisation’s headquarters. Lebanon has become a signatory member through the signing, with its accession as a full member state to be completed through the relevant procedures. The move is particularly relevant for Cyprus, which is already among the DCO’s member states and has been involved in the organisation’s work on digital transformation, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies. It also adds a new dimension to the close relations between Cyprus and Lebanon, which have expanded across political, economic, energy, tourism and security cooperation in recent years. Cyprus and Lebanon signed an agreement delimiting their exclusive economic zone in November 2025, while the two countries have also been pursuing cooperation on energy connectivity, including a World Bank-supported prefeasibility assessment for an electricity interconnection. The two countries have also maintained close cooperation on search and rescue, with Cyprus supporting efforts to strengthen Lebanon’s search and rescue system. Cyprus’ government has described the relationship with Lebanon as one of its closest regional partnerships, with the two countries sharing longstanding historical, geographical and economic ties. The DCO membership process therefore provides another potential channel for Cyprus and Lebanon to deepen cooperation, this time through digital policy, technology, entrepreneurship and investment. Alongside the charter signing, Lebanon and the DCO launched the Lebanon Digital Prosperity Plan, designed to turn the country’s digital priorities into practical initiatives and measurable outcomes. The plan covers digital policy, infrastructure and connectivity, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, skills, entrepreneurship, innovation and investment. The initiative is intended to align Lebanon’s digital transformation priorities with DCO expertise and international partnerships while establishing measurable outcomes. “Signing the DCO Charter represents a strategic step in Lebanon’s journey towards building a more competitive digital economy that is increasingly connected to regional and global opportunities,” Shehadi said. “Through our cooperation with DCO and the Digital Prosperity Plan, we aim to accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies and artificial intelligence, develop national capabilities, support startups and entrepreneurs, and attract strategic investment that can empower Lebanese talent to drive growth, innovation and new opportunities for the economy and society,” he addd. On her part, AlYahya said Lebanon would also bring capabilities and connections that could strengthen the organisation as it expands. “I am glad to welcome the Lebanese Republic as a signatory to the DCO Charter,” she stated. “Accession runs in both directions. Every country that enters the organisation changes it as much as it is changed by it,” she added. “Lebanon arrives with a technology sector that never stopped working through the hardest conditions, universities still producing researchers, and Lebanese diaspora present in major global markets,” AlYahya explained. “Membership sets those capabilities in a wider frame, a bloc approaching 24 member states, with the markets, policy frameworks and investors that come with it,” she continued. AlYahya also stressed that signing the charter was only the beginning of the process. “But the signature is the easy part. The Digital Prosperity Plan is the test,” she stressed. “It says precisely what we will do together on artificial intelligence, digital policy, skills and investment, and it was written so that its results can be measured, not announced,” AlYahya added. “With every country that joins, the point becomes clearer, digital prosperity is work that nations share and through which they write their own future,” the DCO secretary general stated. Lebanon’s digital economy already provides a foundation for the planned cooperation, with the country having a highly connected population and an established technology and entrepreneurship sector. Internet penetration stood at approximately 91 per cent in 2024, while Lebanon was home to around 550 ICT companies. The country also has a substantial pool of technical, entrepreneurial and creative talent, which the DCO said could support the development of its digital economy. The organisation said the new plan would provide a framework for translating those existing capabilities into practical projects across the digital economy. For Cyprus, the development comes as the country continues to position itself as a regional hub for technology, digital services and investment, while maintaining particularly close links with neighbouring Lebanon. The two countries have also continued to expand practical cooperation in areas beyond technology, including energy and maritime affairs. In July, Cyprus and Lebanon agreed to launch a World Bank-supported prefeasibility assessment for a potential electricity interconnection, aimed at strengthening regional energy connectivity and energy security. The DCO development could therefore give the two countries another institutional framework through which to pursue cooperation, particularly in digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, skills and technology entrepreneurship. The DCO said the latest move followed a decision by its council approving the candidatures of eight new countries for membership. If all accession procedures are completed, the organisation’s membership would potentially increase from 16 to 24 countries, representing approximately 980 million people. The DCO currently brings together the communications and information technology ministries of 16 member states, representing nearly $3.5 trillion in combined gross domestic product and a market of more than 800 million people. More than 70 per cent of the population represented by the organisation is under the age of 35. The organisation was founded in 2020 as an intergovernmental body focused on accelerating the growth of an inclusive and sustainable digital economy. Following a DCO Council decision in July 2026, nine additional countries began the process of joining the organisation. Lebanon’s accession process consequently comes as the DCO seeks to expand its geographical reach and build a larger network of countries working together on digital development. For Cyprus, Lebanon’s move towards membership is notable not only because of the potential economic and technological opportunities but also because it adds a digital dimension to an already close bilateral relationship between the two neighbouring Eastern Mediterranean countries.