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The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) has introduced its first Digital Economy Navigator (DEN). This innovative tool helps countries assess their digital economy maturity, uncover growth opportunities, benchmark progress, and close gaps in digital development. The DEN was launched at SDG Digital 2024, held during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The DEN is a multilateral entity dedicated to advancing inclusive digital growth.
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Using a combination of official statistics, secondary data, and unique insights from a large-scale DCO survey, the DEN covers 50 countries, including DCO member states. By providing a unified framework, it enables nations, policymakers, and stakeholders to collaborate on advancing the global digital economy. This fosters accessibility, sustainability, and shared prosperity worldwide.
DEN facilitates cooperation in developing digital strategies
The DEN measures how various factors contribute to economic growth, sustainability, and improved quality of life. This standardized approach facilitates cooperation among stakeholders in developing digital strategies, tracking progress, and bridging digital gaps across borders.
Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the DCO, emphasized the DEN’s role in shaping the future of the digital economy: “The Digital Economy Navigator enhances accessibility, sustainability, and economic prosperity, ensuring countries are not just keeping pace but leading in the digital era. By providing reliable data, insights into emerging trends, and strategic foresight, the DEN equips countries to achieve higher levels of prosperity, inclusion, and sustainability.”
DEN assists in building inclusive digital economy
The DEN is designed for policymakers, business leaders, and digital economy experts. It delivers the research, data, and analysis needed to build an inclusive digital economy. It also stimulates innovation, creates jobs, drives GDP growth, and enhances sustainability through digital technologies.
What sets the DEN apart from other global tools is its comprehensive approach. It does this by analyzing the digital economy through three key dimensions: Digital Enablers, Digital Business, and Digital Society. These dimensions are further broken down into 10 pillars. They are evaluated using 102 indicators sourced from trusted data providers and primary research from over 27,000 respondents across 50 countries.
The DEN classifies countries into five categories based on their maturity scores. It in turn provides stakeholders with targeted insights to guide digital innovation and economic growth.
The report reveals regional variations in digital maturity. North America leads in digital innovation, followed by Europe and Central Asia. East Asia and Pacific. South Asia excels in digital work and training. Regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean are advancing in digital education and healthcare services, showcasing global convergence in these areas.
Audiences can explore the full DEN report, methodology, and data at the DEN online platform (https://den.dco.org/).
