Page 83 - MOE ENGLISH PR REPORT - MARCH 2025

3/28/25, 2:40 PM Home | Emirates News Agency
supply chains, the importance of achieving a just green transition and the ongoing reform of the World Trade

Organisation (WTO) as a means of upholding a free, fair, and inclusive multilateral trading system.
The UAE delegation was headed by Juma Al Kait, Assistant Under-Secretary for International Trade Affairs at

the Ministry of Economy, and included representatives of the Ministry of the Economy and the Ministry of

Investment.
In his remarks to the working group, Juma Al Kait said the UAE trade agenda is closely aligned with the

priorities of South Africa’s presidency, in particular the structural transformation of the African continent and
the development of African Continental Free Trade Area.

The UAE, he said, has now concluded Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements with five African

nations – Kenya, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Morocco and Mauritius – and has opened
discussions with many more to expand the benefits of free trade and boost investment in key sectors.

Al Kait also underlined the UAE’s investment into regional value chains, citing the UAE’s Africa Economic

Corridor Strategy, which aims to increase trade by supporting the development of new logistics hubs across
Sub-Saharan Africa, and the contribution of Abu Dhabi Ports and DP World to the development of integrated

logistics solutions for African businesses.

This is in addition to the UAE’s support for green industrialisation, which is another core focus of South
Africa’s G20 presidency. He noted the UAE’s significant investments in renewable energy ventures, with

commitments of more than US$16.8 billion across 70 countries, the majority of them in the developing world.
In the final session, the UAE highlighted the importance of ensuring the WTO is able to fulfil its mandate as

the custodian of the global trading system, especially in its ability to address economic asymmetries.

He noted the unprecedented progress made on the areas of agriculture and fisheries at the 13th Ministerial
Conference (MC13) of the WTO, which was held in Abu Dhabi in February, 2024, and expressed hope that

consensus could be found at MC14 in Cameroon next year.
Juma Al Kait said the Working Group is an important opportunity to build consensus among the global trading

community and make the case for open, rules-based trade: “The United Arab Emirates believes that trade is

the main driver of sustainable economic development, positively impacting investment, industrialization, job
creation and innovation. It is incumbent on us to ensure the global trading system is inclusive and accessible

– especially as we confront a rapidly evolving trading landscape. The G20’s trade priorities for 2025 are fully

aligned with our own foreign trade agenda, and the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Investment will
continue to actively contribute to this year’s TIWG sessions to ensure the benefits of trade are shared equally

and equitably.”

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