His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday attended the closing of the MENA ICT Forum 2013, which witnessed the launch of partnerships between local, regional and international companies to boost cooperation in the field of ICT.

King Abdullah viewed a documentary on ICT sector developments and Jordan’s contribution in the field of mobile applications and apps for smartphones.

His Majesty also toured an exhibition held on the sidelines of the forum that displayed the latest ICT achievements and applications.

Organisers announced the launch of the Internet Freedom Declaration, which underlines the need for supporting the freedom of the Internet in the Arab world and enhancing its role in regional socio-economic development.

The organisers also launched a coalition representing several entities from the Arab world to support the participation of women in the ICT sector.

At the conclusion of the event, participants issued several recommendations, calling for efforts to boost competitiveness and enhance the integration of ICT in other sectors.

They also underlined the need to support incubators that provide training and assistance to entrepreneurs, highlighting the potential for cooperation and growth within the sector.

Several challenges facing the sector were also reviewed, including the need for the development of legislation governing the sector and funds for supporting initiatives in the field.

The event was held by the ICT Association of Jordan (int@j) in partnership with the Arab ICT Organisation (IJMA3) and the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.