DCO approves Kazakhstan as one of eight new member candidates, Tajikistan as associate member

The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) has given its approval for eight new nations to potentially join as member states, which would expand its current membership from 16 to 24 countries and encompass a population of roughly 980 million individuals.

The countries put forward for membership are Albania, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Zambia. Their full integration into the DCO will occur once they complete the necessary formal accession steps, including signing the DCO Charter and fulfilling their respective national adoption and ratification processes. Kazakhstan's entry would mark the DCO's first expansion into Central Asia. Additionally, Tajikistan is slated to become an associate member of the organization.

As an associate member, Tajikistan will gain the ability to engage in digital cooperation initiatives, access public-private partnership opportunities, and collaborate on projects focused on digital innovation, skill development, and inclusion. This collaboration is anticipated to align with Tajikistan’s National Development Strategy, which extends through 2030.

The DCO, established in 2020 by five founding countries, operates as an international body dedicated to fostering collaboration within the digital economy. DCO Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya stated that the organization's membership is projected to reach 24 countries once the eight candidate states finalize their accession procedures.

AlYahya commented, "Countries are joining for a practical reason; the rules of the digital economy on data, artificial intelligence, and cross-border trade are being written now, and rules written without you are rules you inherit rather than shape."

She further explained that this expansion would offer participating countries a more extensive platform for cooperative efforts on digital economy policies.

AlYahya added, "The next stage is scale. Five years of policy, platforms and partnerships could soon have 24 countries behind them, and that is what turns alignment into infrastructure, investment, and rules that hold and shape our collective future."

Upon the completion of these accessions, the DCO's member states would collectively represent approximately 980 million people, which constitutes about 12% of the global population. The planned growth will also broaden the organization's geographical reach. Beyond its entry into Central Asia via Kazakhstan, the DCO will extend its presence into the Caucasus through Azerbaijan and into the Western Balkans through Albania.

The organization is currently implementing its strategic agenda for 2025–2028. Its programs encompass areas such as digital policy formulation, digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence governance, digital skills training, startup ecosystem development, cross-border data flows, and the measurement of the digital economy.