Six Jordanian start-ups take part in Viva Tech conference in Paris

AMMAN — Chief Executive and Chairman of Orange Group Stéphane Richard, in press remarks on the sidelines of the Viva Technology conference in Paris, Thursday through Saturday, highlighted the importance of his meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah last week.

As part of the Christchurch Call summit in Paris, Richard met with the King last Wednesday on the status of the ICT and entrepreneurial sectors in Jordan.

Representing the Kingdom, six Jordanian start-ups participated in the fourth edition of the Viva Tech conference, under Orange Jordan’s accelerator programme, BIG, according to a company statement.

Richard referred in press remarks during the conference to the King’s keenness to develop the ICT sector with the help of international companies working in Jordan.

He highlighted the vitality of supporting entrepreneurs who receive the attention of international companies wherever they are, as the statement noted that the six start-ups participating in Viva Tech are part of the BIG programme’s sixth edition.

Thierry Marigny, CEO of Orange Jordan, said that the conference encompasses all those entrepreneurs who translated their ideas into projects on the ground.

The aim of supporting start-ups, through BIG, was to provide them with the opportunity to exchange expertise with peers from across the globe, Marigny noted.

Viva Tech saw the participation of more than 100,000 people, including entrepreneurs, investors and leaders in the ICT industry.

King Abdullah and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday co-chaired a roundtable discussion in Paris with executives and representatives of global tech companies to address cooperation between governments and companies to counter the abuse of the Internet and extremist ideology, hate speech, and terrorism.

The roundtable prefaced the high-level meeting on the Christchurch Call to Action to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content Online, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Ardern.

Discussions covered the importance of cooperation between all stakeholders to counter extremist content and hate speech online.

This is especially important in the wake of the terrorist attack that targeted two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15, killing dozens, including four Jordanians, the statement said.

Participants in the roundtable talks stressed the need for joint action and integrated efforts to safeguard the Internet and social media against extremist content and hate speech of any kind, while providing a safe online space for current and future generations.