By ; Mohamed Essam 

Egypt, represented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), is participating as an observer in the second plenary meeting of the Council of Europe’s (CoE) Steering Committee for New and Emerging Digital Technologies (CDNET). The meeting runs on October 21–23 in Strasbourg, France.

CDNET has 46 Member States. It coordinates and directs the Council’s work on new and emerging digital technologies, including AI governance and the legal aspects of designing, developing and applying AI systems. The Committee began work on January 1, 2026, succeeding the Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI). Under its rules of procedure, non-member states with observer status, Egypt among them, attend its meetings and take part in the discussions.

The agenda covers the latest developments on CoE’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, along with activities related to the risk and impact assessment of AI systems from the point of view of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (HUDERIA) methodology. Participants will also discuss the Recommendations on Roles and Responsibilities in AI Project Lifecycle, the Procurement Guidelines, the Mapping Report on Interoperability Clauses, and a mapping study on trends regarding the use of AI raising specific issues in relation to human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

MCIT’s participation reflects its efforts to follow international developments in AI governance and digital technologies, exchange expertise with member states and international organizations, and keep track of relevant legislative and regulatory trends. It also gives Egypt a platform to present its own perspective and that of the Global South on these issues.

https://tinyurl.com/2s3cmtv8