AMMAN, Jordan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 19, 2025--
The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), a global multilateral organization committed to enabling digital prosperity for all by accelerating the inclusive growth of the digital economy, has concluded its fourth annual General Assembly in Jordan on 19 th February 2025, launching new digital cooperation initiatives aimed at narrowing the global digital divide and endorsing the DCO’s 2025-2028 Agenda that will advance digital maturity across Member States.
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In the Declaration of the General Assembly, the 16 DCO Member States reaffirmed their commitment to building an inclusive, human-centric, and sustainable digital economy. They also welcomed the decision to broaden DCO membership by establishing the Associate Membership mechanism, and the successful implementation of the WE-Elevate initiative.
DCO’s Member States furthermore endorsed the following cross-border initiatives: the DCO Entrepreneurship and Innovation Standard of Excellence, the DCO Interoperability Mechanism for Cross-Border Data Flows, the DCO Model Contractual Clauses, the AI Ethics Evaluator, the AI Readiness Toolkit, the Framework for Strengthening National Agendas to Combat Online Misinformation, the establishment of a Ministerial Committee chaired by Kuwait, and the E-Waste Management Framework.
These build upon successful initiatives endorsed at the inaugural International Digital Cooperation Forum (IDCF) held on the sidelines of the Assembly, including the Framework for Cross-Border E-Waste Management, the Responsible AI Governance Policy Tool, and the AI Readiness Toolkit.
Member States also adopted the DCO Model Startup Act, the DCO Data Privacy Principles, the DCO Principles for Ethical AI, the DCO Intent on Safe Digital Space for Children, and the DCO Intent on Digital Intellectual Property (IP) Protection.
On the sidelines of the Assembly, MoUs were signed between DCO and the Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation (MISK), HP Inc., the Agency for Economic Cooperation and Development, and between the Sultanate of Oman and 500 Global. A Statement of Intent was additionally signed between DCO and United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC).
In addition, the four-year 2025-2028 Agenda was endorsed, providing clear direction for initiatives that drive transformative growth, ensuring we are prepared to succeed collectively through the power of multilateral actions in an increasingly interconnected, technology- driven world.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan was additionally endorsed for the Presidency of the DCO Council for 2026. Also, the council announced the composition of the 2025 Executive Committee, which will be chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and will include the following Member States: the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Kuwait, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Cyprus, the Kingdom of Morocco, and the Sultanate of Oman.
The Jordanian Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship and Chairman of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) Council, H.E. Engineer Sami Smeirat, stated that it is a great honor for Jordan to host the 4th General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization, which represents a significant milestone in advancing digital cooperation among member states. He emphasized that through Jordan’s presidency of the organization in 2024, the country has demonstrated its ability to lead global efforts toward building an inclusive and sustainable digital economy that is human-centered and serves everyone without exception.
Smeirat added, “Throughout this year, we have launched ambitious initiatives, strengthened public-private partnerships, and laid solid foundations to empower youth and women in the technology sector.
“Today, as we hand over the presidency to our brothers in the State of Kuwait, we reaffirm Jordan’s commitment to remaining an active partner in achieving the organization’s goals. We look forward to continuing our joint efforts to realize our shared vision: a digital world marked by prosperity and fairness for all.”
Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of DCO, said: “On behalf of the DCO Secretariat, I extend our appreciation to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and our deepest gratitude to H.E. Sami Smeirat and the Council of Member States, for their guidance and unwavering support provided throughout the year.
“The General Assembly marked four years of progress for DCO, showcasing our commitment to uniting governments, the private sector, and civil society to discuss the state of the digital economy and the shared challenges in achieving inclusive and sustainable global digital prosperity.”
The Secretary-General highlighted DCO’s upcoming ambitions, adding: “While we have achieved much over the past four years, there is still important work ahead to drive digital economic growth for all. Our 2025-2028 Agenda marks the beginning of a new digital era for DCO. Global collaboration will be essential in achieving inclusive and sustainable development, benefiting more than 800 million people across our 16 Member States and shaping a better future for generations to come.”
Chaired by H.E. Sami Smeirat, Chairperson of the DCO Council for Digital Collaboration and Jordanian Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, the GA saw the handover of the DCO Council presidency for 2025 from Jordan to the State of Kuwait, where the next DCO General Assembly will take pace in February 2026. The 5 th GA will discuss the impact of joint initiatives in line with the 4-Year 2025-2028 Agenda.
Omar Saud Al-Omar, Minister of State for Communication Affairs, Kuwait, said: “The State of Kuwait is honored to have been elected to the Presidency of DCO. We look forward to building on our contributions, including guiding efforts to combat online misinformation by chairing a Ministerial Committee that will oversee the implementation of the Framework for Strengthening National Agendas to Combat Online Misinformation.
“Our Presidency comes at a pivotal time for DCO, with the 2025-2028 Agenda setting a blueprint for the next four years. We are ready to share our expertise so that all nations have an opportunity to prosper in the digital economy. Kuwait also affirms its commitment to supporting digital transformation by adopting initiatives and projects that enhance the digital economy, encourage innovation and digital entrepreneurship, thus contributing to empowering societies and achieving sustainable technology-based development.”
More information about the DCO can be found at
For media enquiries, please contact media@DCO.org
Source:AETOSWire
Digital Cooperation Organization concludes 4th General Assembly with endorsement of 2025-2028 Agenda to advance digital maturity- (Photo: AETOSWire)
A Texas judge granted Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby a temporary injunction that clears the way for him to play this fall despite being declared ineligible by the NCAA for wagering on college sports, including bets made on his own team while he was at Indiana.
The decision sent shock waves across college sports since bans for gambling are a bedrock rule of the NCAA and in many professional sports.
The NCAA said it strongly disagrees with the ruling and “is deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome — which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports.” The NCAA said it would appeal to the Court of Appeals for the Seventh District of Texas in Amarillo.
Sorsby, whose school said he has a gambling problem that he is addressing through treatment, will miss the Red Raiders’ first two games next season under a judge-approved penalty that had been proposed by his attorneys. The NCAA, which usually handles such punishments, was not involved.
The ruling by Judge Ken Curry prevents the NCAA from being able to block the transfer QB's eligibility for what will be his final college season with a team among the favorites to win the Big 12 Conference and return to the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said the ramifications of the ruling “could have broad impacts across college athletics, creating great concern amongst our membership.” He called a meeting this week of his league's athletic directors and executive board, and been in touch with NCAA President Charlie Baker.
Texas Tech opens the season on Sept. 5 at home against Abilene Christian. The Red Raiders then play Oregon State before their Big 12 opener at home on Sept. 18 against Houston.
“I’m very grateful for the endless support I have received throughout this entire process,” Sorsby posted on social media. “I am also grateful for the chance to rejoin my teammates. This opportunity comes with the responsibility to remain focused on my personal growth, the ability to learn from this experience, and to be able to use my situation to help others going forward.”
Curry held a two-hour hearing last week in the 99th District Court in Lubbock County, where Texas Tech is located. In his decision, he wrote that he agreed Sorsby would suffer “a probable, imminent and irreparable injury” if he cannot practice or play for the Red Raiders.
The injunction comes with conditions that Sorsby must continue counseling for his gambling and to participate in peer support through Gamblers Anonymous or a similar group. He also must continue treatment to address “the underlying anxiety that served as the primary driver of (his) gambling behavior.”
Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt said a comprehensive support structure, including clinical care, monitoring and compliance checks, will remain fully in place for Sorsby during his time at the school.
“As we have said before, we do not believe that the circumstances of Brendan’s case warranted permanent ineligibility,” Hocutt said. “As he returns to our football program, we remain committed to supporting Brendan’s recovery and ensuring his compliance with the court’s order.”
Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor told Yahoo Sports he was disappointed by the ruling.
“It is absolutely devastating for him to be able to play when every other sport, no matter the level, deems an athlete ineligible or they are punished severely for betting on their team,” he told the outlet.
“I think there needs to be serious conversations about not playing Texas Tech in any sports,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks, a member of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, told Yahoo Sports. “If a state court wants to dictate eligibility rules, they can play themselves. ... We’ve officially reached the point of no return.”
NCAA attorney Taylor Askew had said during the hearing that allowing Sorsby to play another college season would provide “reputable harm” to the governing body.
“Saying the NCAA is now the first league in America that allows you, without punishment, to bet on its own contests, that’s a reputable harm to the NCAA,” Askew told the court. “This would be the first league in America that does that. ... We should not say for the first time serial gambling is OK.”
Court records show that Sorsby has acknowledged making thousands of impermissible bets totaling at least $90,000 during his time at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech. That included 40 bets on Indiana while he was a freshman there in 2022, though none on any of the games he played in with the Hoosiers.
While some guidelines for penalties related to gambling have changed in recent years, NCAA rules still call for a permanent loss of eligibility for any player who wagered on his own team.
Sorsby was at Indiana for two seasons before the past two at Cincinnati.
The Texas native transferred in January to Texas Tech for a reported multimillion-dollar deal. The Red Raiders brought him in to be the starting quarterback when trying to defend their first Big 12 title and return to the CFP.
According to court filings, on March 11 the NCAA received a tip about Sorsby’s gambling activity from an online gambling book, which had been informed by law enforcement. Texas Tech was notified April 14 that an investigation was underway by the NCAA.
Jeffrey Kessler, the attorney who negotiated the $2.8 billion House settlement against the NCAA and now represents Sorsby, told the court that the 22-year-old quarterback has a diagnosed addiction and anxiety-driven compulsion. Sorsby recently completed a monthlong stay in a residential treatment program in Arizona that he entered after the start of the NCAA’s investigation.
According to a clinician who treated Sorsby, Kessler said, not allowing the quarterback to play would hurt his mental health and hamper his recovery.
The NCAA in its statement Monday said it is “committed to supporting student-athlete mental health but must continue to aggressively defend against actions that defraud college athletics and threaten competitive integrity, such as betting on one’s own sport.”
The injunction came in Sorsby’s lawsuit filed May 18 against the NCAA seeking the restoration of his eligibility. That case was initially assigned to District Judge Phillip Hays, a Lubbock native and Texas Tech graduate who later recused himself. Curry is a retired judge from Tarrant County, nearly 300 miles away.
Since the filing of that lawsuit, the NCAA has twice denied Texas Tech’s petition to restore the quarterback’s eligibility.
When the school on May 26 revealed the first denial and its intent to appeal, university president Lawrence Schovanec wrote in a letter to the Texas Tech community that the school felt “the NCAA’s ruling should be reversed or modified.”
That comment illustrates the difficult landscape for the NCAA, which has lost multiple court cases challenging rules that were put in place by the very schools that make up its membership. Many focus on eligibility, with athletes contending they should be allowed to play and continue to earn money that was made available under the House ruling.
The NCAA is on the verge of approving a new eligibility model following meetings among stakeholders and even President Donald Trump. The NCAA continues to also seek limited antitrust protections from Congress in hopes of eliminating or at least smoothing the state-by-state rulings that have thrown the industry into chaos.
“There is no better example of why targeted intervention from Congress is necessary,” Baker said on social media after the ruling. “When you have schools and deep-pocketed supporters willing to look the other way on the glaring integrity threat of betting on your own team — and judges whose rulings effectively strip away our ability to stop them — only Congress can equip the NCAA to apply this common sense rule to everyone fairly and consistently. The Protect College Sports Act would empower the NCAA to enforce rules including the gambling restrictions — it’s needed now more than ever.”
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
FILE - Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) walks off the field after a NCAA college football game against Baylor, Oct. 25, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Tanner Pearson, file)
FILE - Quarterback Brendan Sorsby attends an NCAA college basketball game between Texas Tech and Houston, Jan. 24, 2026, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Annie Rice, file)
