Morocco participates in first Ministerial Committee meeting on Fake News at Digital Cooperation Organization Assembly

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye

Morocco has participated in the first meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Fake News, held on the sidelines of the Fifth General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) in Kuwait.

The Kingdom was represented by Ms. Amal Al-Falah Al-Saghroushni, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform. The meeting brought together ministers and senior officials from DCO Member States and was chaired by Mr. Omar Al-Omar, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology of the State of Kuwait and Chair of the Committee.

Representatives from Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Ghana, as well as the Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization, participated in the discussions, which focused on strengthening collective efforts to address the growing challenge of fake news in the digital space.

The meeting underscored the need for enhanced cooperation among Member States to promote responsible digital practices, improve institutional coordination, and facilitate the exchange of national experiences and best practices in countering disinformation.

In her intervention, Ms. Al-Saghroushni highlighted the increasing impact of generative artificial intelligence tools, stressing the importance of developing collaborative governance approaches, responsible use frameworks and capacity-building programmes. She noted that such measures are critical to mitigating the risks associated with AI-generated misleading content while continuing to support innovation.

The Committee concluded its inaugural meeting with a set of preliminary recommendations, including strengthening cooperation among Member States, encouraging knowledge sharing on regulatory frameworks and national policies, and advancing discussions on the governance of generative AI in the context of disinformation. Participants also agreed on the need to develop a preliminary roadmap outlining priority actions and future joint engagements under the leadership of the Committee Chair.

Ms. Al-Saghroushni further called on Member States, experts and stakeholders to contribute practical solutions and best practices to enhance collective capacities for monitoring, preventing and responding to disinformation, particularly challenges linked to generative AI.

The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of Digital Cooperation Organization Member States to building a safer, more responsible digital environment through cooperation, shared expertise and collective approaches to emerging digital challenges.