ShareKUWAIT: Ushering rapid digital transformation, bolstering cybersecurity, and implementing the fourth industrial revolution are integral goals within Kuwait’s Vision 2035, said the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development (SCPD) on Sunday. In an interview with Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) prior to the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York on September 18–19, Secretary General of SCPD Dr. Khaled Mahdi said that implementing digital transformation would smooth the path for Kuwait to be part of the fourth industrial revolution.
He added that government services in Kuwait would make huge leaps through digital transformation, noting that sustainable development in all aspects would boost the capital of human resources and help future generations excel. There would be no development without investing in future generations, and this matter is within Kuwait’s 2035 Vision, as pointed out by Mahdi. Sustainable development is not a recent development; Kuwait has been working on it since establishing the Future Generations Fund in the era of the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in 1979, a step aimed at ensuring the prosperity of future generations, added the official.
In regards to the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Dr. Mahdi affirmed that Kuwait was eager to contribute to the 17-point plan ranging from eradicating poverty worldwide to providing proper health care and more. Kuwait’s 2035 Vision is in line with the SDGs, said Mahdi, revealing that Kuwait had taken considerable strides into realizing its own development goals through the involvement of the SCPD. In regards to digital transformation and the fourth industrial revolution, which is integral to the Kuwait Vision 2035, Dr. Mahdi stressed that Kuwait had made an important jump in transforming paper government transactions into digital.
He added that the "Sahel" and "Hawiyati" government applications transformed how government transactions were carried out; however, this was just the beginning of seeking better digital transformation. Mahdi went on to say that the infrastructure for digital transformation was laid down in Kuwait through the use of fiber optic cables and communication towers throughout the country to ensure smooth phone services and internet access. Cybersecurity was among the state’s top priorities, said Mahdi, who pointed out that the recent agreement with Google Cloud would boost security and help citizens and residents better protect their digital information and assets.
Digital transformation had been implemented in the health sector in Kuwait via using "robot surgeons" in surgery, indicated the official, adding that such transformation was also used in environmental sustainability via constructing various eco-friendly buildings and structures in Kuwait. He went on to say that technology was used to improve regulations for residency in Kuwait and, more importantly, to boost the country’s economy.
He indicated that media played a crucial role in Kuwait’s Vision 2035, lauding on this occasion the Ministry of Information and Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) for their contributions to the state’s development vision.
One of the major goals to achieve digital transformation was in the economy, where Kuwait was eager to collaborate with foreign investors to achieve mutual goals, the SCDP chief said. For example, Kuwait had extended its hand in cooperation with China by signing in 2018 an agreement to develop the northern region of the country as part of the Harir "Silk" project, which includes the Mubarak seaport, new residential areas, industrial cities, and more.
In 2009, Kuwait was also among the first countries in the Middle East to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with China, as the latter country was embarking on its Belt and Road initiative of 2013. The upcoming 2030 Sustainable Development Summit in New York will look into what has been achieved in regards to the plan launched in 2015.- KUNA
