DPF Forum Doha 2026

Arab States Region منتدى قادة السياسات الرقمية والذكاء الاصطناعي

High-Level Digital & AI Policy Leaders Forum

September 1–2, 2026Tuesday & Wednesday
Doha, QatarDoha Institute for Graduate Studies
Convened by UNDP Ooredoo Group in partnership with Doha Institute for Graduate Studies

Agenda

Two working days at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. All times local (AST, GMT+3).

08:30 – 09:00

Registration & welcome coffee

09:00 – 10:15

Opening Plenary — High-Level Ministerial Panel

Open to public and media, streamed online. Welcome remarks followed by a moderated ministerial panel on why digital policy is central to the Arab development agenda. Master of Ceremony: Waad Hashem, News Presenter.

Welcome remarks & panel
  • WelcomeDr. Abdelwahab El-Affendi — President, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
  • WelcomeBiplove Chaudry — Head of UNDP Qatar Office
  • WelcomeHilal Mohammed Al-Khulaifi — Group Chief Legal, Regulatory & Corporate Governance Officer, Ooredoo Group
  • PanelH.E. Dr. Abdel Razzaq Natsheh — Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Economy, State of Palestine
  • PanelH.E. Dr. Fadi Makki — Minister of State for Administrative Reform, Lebanese Republic
  • PanelH.E. Ziad Abdelwaret Elhajjaji — Minister of State for Digital Economy and AI, Libya
  • PanelH.E. Dr. Yousif Khalaf — Chairman of the Prime Minister's Advisory Commission, Iraq
  • PanelJawad Abbassi — Regional Director MENA, GSMA
  • PanelElina Silen — Regional Programme Manager, UNDP
  • ModeratorDr. Amal Ghazal — Provost, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
10:15 – 10:30

Break and networking — participants move to the main event room

10:30 – 11:30

Session 1 — The DPF: Architecture, Evidence and Regional Relevance

Presentation of the DPF structure, the evidence base behind each pillar, and the economic case for coherent digital policy. Discussion on mapping the DPF to national digital strategies across the Arab States.

Panelists
  • James Bellis — Director, Telecommunications practice, Frontier Economics
  • Dr. Ayhab Saad — Dean, School of Economics, Administration and Public Policy, Doha Institute
  • Dr. Bharat Vagadia — Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Ooredoo Group
  • Idrissa Dai — Director, Economic & Social Infrastructure Department, IsDB
  • ModeratorDany Wazen — Head of Digital Transformation and AI Team, UNDP RBAS
11:30 – 11:50

Coffee break & networking

11:50 – 13:05

Session 2 — Pillar 1: Networks, Connectivity and the Policy Levers that Drive Growth

Spectrum management, broadband affordability, infrastructure sharing and cross-border connectivity, followed by a facilitated exchange on reform priorities by country group.

Panelists
  • Karim Mohamed Mahmoud Abdelghani — Programme Coordinator, ITU, Egypt
  • Mrs. Lara Al-Khateeb — Chairperson of the Board of Commissioners, TRC Jordan
  • Sandeep Maru — Chief Commercial Officer, Syntys
  • H.E. Mr. Baleegh Mithqal Abu Kalal — Chief Executive Officer, Communications and Media Commission (CMC), Republic of Iraq
  • Mrs. Sana Haouari Ep Ksibi — Director General for Information Technology, Ministry of Information Technology, Tunisia
  • Mahmoud Mousa — Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Syria
  • ModeratorNadia Brahmi — Technology Director MENA, GSMA
13:05 – 14:15

Networking lunch

14:15 – 15:30

Session 3 — Pillar 2: Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Governance and Financial Inclusion

Digital ID systems, data-sharing frameworks, interoperability standards and digital payment ecosystems, featuring the co-development and presentation of the Digital Financial Inclusion Policy Framework with comparative analysis across the four partner countries.

Panelists
  • H.E. Dr. Abdel Razzaq Natsheh — Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Economy, State of Palestine
  • Eng. Haitham Ali — CEO, Digital Egypt for Investment (DEFI)
  • Shaharyar Jawaid — Global Senior ICT Portfolio Manager, IsDB
  • Elyas Yusuf Ahmed Abdulghaffar — Director, Government Systems Development, Bahrain
  • ModeratorMariam Waleed — Senior Principal, Investments, Co-Develop
15:30 – 16:00

Coffee break

16:00 – 17:00

Session 3 (cont.) — Case Study: Building Blocks for DPI & the new UNDP Digital Payment Framework for the Arab Region

Practical building blocks for a functioning, scalable digital public infrastructure, presented by an exemplar country, with a reaction panel.

Presentation & reaction panel
  • Simon Priollaud — Digital Finance Expert, UNDP
  • Charbel Chbeir — Lawyer, Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence (MITAI), Lebanon
  • Mansour Rageh — Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Yemen
  • Abdullahi Bihi Hussein — DPI and Digital Governance Lead, Somali Payment Switch
  • Chris Wild — Director of Development, Co-Develop
  • ModeratorYasmine Hamdar — AI Policy Specialist, UNDP
17:00

Recap — end of Day One

09:00 – 09:15

Recap of Day 1 and Day 2 objectives

09:15 – 09:45

Session 4 — Applying the DPF Diagnostic: Methodology, Indicators and Country Readiness

A hands-on walkthrough of the DPF diagnostic toolkit.

Presenters
  • Montacer Barakat — Digitalization Specialist, UNDP Syria
  • Rihab Rabbaj — Senior Business Research Analyst, Cullen International
09:45 – 11:00

Session 5 — AI Deployment Frameworks for the Arab Region

Co-led by the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, drawing on its AI policy and governance research. How governments can deploy AI to promote economic growth and sustainable development, with presentation and consultations around the new UNDP AI Deployment Framework.

Panelists
  • LeadCalum Handforth — AI Governance and Policy Expert, UNDP
  • Dr. Fadi Salem — Director of Policy Research, Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government
  • Prof. Yanis Ben Amor — Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University
  • Dr. Issa Jreisat — Director, International Affairs Unit, TRC Jordan
  • Yasmin Al Enazi — Head of the Middle East Region, Women in AI
11:00 – 11:30

Coffee break

11:30 – 13:15

Session 6 — Pillar 3: Intelligent Systems in Sectors & Women's Leadership in the AI Sector

Translating AI governance principles into sectoral practice: digital health, e-education, agricultural data systems and smart public services, with a facilitated discussion on national readiness and sequencing.

Panelists
  • Eng. Yasmin Al Enazi — Head of the Middle East Region, Women in AI
  • Eng. Rwdah Al-Subaiey — WAI Ambassador for Qatar, Qatar Foundation
  • Dany Wazen — Head of Regional Digital and AI Team, UNDP
  • Mona Khalid Al-Attiyah — National Planning Council, Qatar (tbc)
  • Eng. Sara K. Al-Khelaifi — Director, IT Governance, Security and Information, Qatar Foundation
  • Reem Al-Naimi — Cybersecurity Strategy and Product Management, QNB Group
  • Mohamed Jama — Head of AI, board advisor, Qatar Foundation
13:15 – 14:15

Lunch

14:15 – 15:00

Session 7 — From Framework to Roadmap: Applying the DPF Tools

A hands-on capacity-building session in which country delegations work directly with the Facility's tools — the DPF diagnostic toolkit, indicator dashboard and roadmap templates — to draft an initial national Digital Policy Roadmap across the three pillars, with peer review across country groups.

Session leads & facilitators
  • Yasmine Hamdar — AI Policy Specialist, UNDP RBAS
  • Dr. Ayhab Saad — Dean, School of Economics, Administration and Public Policy, Doha Institute
15:00 – 15:30

Coffee break

15:30 – 16:15

Session 8 — Introducing the Regional Digital Policy Facility

Presentation of the proposed Facility as the mechanism to carry the DPF forward: value proposition, service offer, governance model, country onboarding pathway and partnership roles, closing with an invitation to signal commitment through Letters of Intent.

Presenters
  • Dr. Bharat Vagadia — Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Ooredoo Group
  • Elina Silen — Regional Programme Manager, UNDP
  • Jawaher Al Naemi — Acting Manager, Strategic Partnerships Department, QFFD
16:15 – 16:30

Closing session and way forward — remarks by MCIT Qatar (tbc), Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and UNDP

Speakers

Ministers, regulators, and leaders from government, international organizations, academia and the private sector.

Additional speakers to be confirmed. Titles and affiliations as provided by the organizers.