As Prepared for Delivery

Your Excellency Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology,

Distinguished guests, partners, and most importantly, the brilliant young innovators gathered here today.

It is a pleasure to join you at the award ceremony of Digitopia, a leading national initiative that reflects Egypt’s vision for a digitally empowered society.

Today, we celebrate the winners of this competition and the spirit of creativity, innovation and collaboration that drives Egypt’s digital transformation journey.

For more than two decades, UNDP and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology have worked hand in hand to advance Egypt’s digital agenda.

Today, this partnership has grown into UNDP’s largest digital portfolio in the Arab region.

Our partnership aims at supporting “Digital Egypt” vision in including digital government, infrastructure, business, and people.

At the heart of our partnership is youth and innovation. Together we are building the capacities of youth to use technology in ways that benefits people, improves their lives and reaches everyone.

Digitopia is a compelling example of this vision in action. By attracting over 25,000 participantsfrom across Egypt, this initiative has become Egypt’s largest platform for discovering and nurturing talent in critical fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital arts.

Competitions bring people together and can create new collaborations.  But Digitopia goes beyond competition, it is a nationwide platform to unlock creativity, empower youth, and transform promising ideas into practical solutions that address social and economic challenges.

As we celebrate these achievements, we must ensure that all segments of society have equal opportunities to learn, innovate, and become active citizens in the country’s social and economic development.

Initiatives such as Digitopia help ensure inclusivity by giving everyone a chance to participate. Young women have equal access to training, mentorship, and leadership roles in tech innovation, and the same applies to youth outside major cities and persons with disabilities.

At UNDP, we believe that digital transformation is a powerful enabler of the Sustainable Development Goals. But its success depends on partnerships like the one we proudly share with MCIT, and on the creativity and determination of people like Digitopia’s participants.

To all the participants: you are the architects of Egypt’s digital future. Your talent and vision inspire us, and we are committed to supporting you as you turn these ideas into impactful solutions.

Mabrook to the winners, and to everyone who participated. There is a whole ecosystem to support the success of Digitopia.  My thanks to the ministry and all partners, mentors and judges for making Digitopia a reality.

I would like to acknowledge Minister Dr. Amr Talaat’s leadership in supporting and preparing a future-ready generation. Together, let us continue take this inspiration and positive energy and build a Digital Egypt that leaves no one behind.  Shokran jazeelan.