Page 299 - MOE ENGLISH PR REPORT - SEPTEMBER 2024 (Part 1)

attracted over 2,000 participants from 136 countries.

This year’s congress coincided with the World 10th anniversary of the organization's
founding, witnessed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Dubai,

where the organization's headquarters is located. The organization has played a pivotal role
in setting global standards and contributing to efforts aimed at achieving sustainable
development worldwide. Over the past decade, it has successfully expanded its
membership base from 14 founding members to a thriving global community of 1,600
members from 141 countries, supported by a global network of 12 regional offices and 42
national contact points.

Future of Key Sectors
The congress opened with a ‘Ministerial Meeting’ attended by H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al

Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, along with a Prime Minister, 24 ministers,
deputy ministers, and secretaries-general. The meeting discussed the future role of
artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in global trade, focusing on five key areas:
how to harness emerging opportunities and address challenges through international
cooperation, maximizing the potential benefits of AI and new technologies while
minimizing risks, enhancing trade and AI integration to drive sustainable global
development, stimulating trade and investment, and tackling supply chain challenges
through free zones, while shaping safer, more resilient supply chains through modern

economic zones.

In his speech during the Ministerial Meeting, H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister
of State for Foreign Trade, said: ‘We are at the cusp of a new global trade paradigm, marked
by both challenges and opportunities as global supply chains undergo transformation
alongside the rapid digitalization of trade. Technology, meanwhile, is transcending
boundaries and reshaping global trade, with artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain
improving the resilience of supply chains. Amid these shifts, technology emerges as a
transformative force, capable of transcending regional boundaries and revolutionizing

global trade.’

His Excellency added: ‘The UAE is strategically positioned as a global trade leader, adopting
a neutral stance that balances trade and diplomacy while strengthening its global
partnerships through comprehensive economic partnership agreements (CEPAs).’

Participants in the Ministerial Meeting affirmed the emergence of a new model for global

trade driven by the transformation of global supply chains and the digitization of

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