Ahmed bin Mohammed: "Free zones contribute to achieving Mohammed bin Rashid's vision to consolidate Dubai's position as the capital of global economy and trade and an ideal destination for attracting investments and competencies"

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Media Council, today (Tuesday) witnessed the opening of the ninth edition of the annual international exhibition and conference of the World Free Zones Organization, held under the theme "Global Trade 2.0, Free Zones A System of Trust that Supports Prosperity".

Speaking at the opening of the event, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: "This hosting comes in light of the success of the distinguished model established by Dubai for free zones and its role as a key pillar of economic development, as the emirate has supported this vital sector with strong infrastructure, flexible legislative and regulatory frameworks, and world-class services and facilities to create a vibrant and stimulating business environment, making its free zones, which cover a wide range of diverse economic activities, a major global attraction for major businesses and companies. specialized in various fields, and a starting point for "unicorn" companies, which have turned global from Dubai.

His Highness stressed that Dubai's free zones have made a clear contribution to supporting the comprehensive development process in the emirate over the past decades, and will have an influential role in achieving the ambitious goals contained in the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), through which Dubai seeks to transform into one of the top three economic cities in the world within the next ten years.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum noted the role of Dubai's free zones in achieving the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in consolidating Dubai's position as the capital of global economy and trade and an ideal destination for attracting investments, competencies, talents and innovators from all over the world, with its advanced technological environment and forward-looking solutions that contribute to attracting more new businesses, especially in future sectors.

Largest cycle

The event, the largest since the establishment of the organization, which was held at the Grand Hyatt Dubai, was attended by 19 ministers from several countries around the world, representatives of leaders of international organizations including the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the World Customs Organization and the International Labor Organization, in addition to the participation of more than 600 free zone officials, experts, investors and entrepreneurs from more than 70 countries, as well as a number of senior officials in Dubai.

The conference began with a welcome speech by H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, President of the World Free Zones Organization, followed by the first keynote session entitled "A System of Trust: How to Build, Operate and Sustain" with the participation of H.E. Eto Bisono, Minister of Industry of the Dominican Republic, Ricardo Trevino, Deputy Secretary-General of the World Customs Organization, Kevin Shakespeare, Director of Strategic Projects and Development for the British Export and Trade Authority, Gochen Connect, CEO of IFZA Dubai and Lars Carlsson, International Head of Trade and Customs at Maersk.

The second session focused on managing and mitigating the challenges of global trade after the COVID-19 pandemic, and featured Oliver Sykes, Partner at PWC (UAE), Asli Kalek, Vice President of the International Road Transport Association (Switzerland), Emeka Eni, CEO of Oildata Energy Group (Nigeria), Jeffrey Hardy, General Manager, Coalition Against Illicit Trade (USA) and Philippe Duverny, CEO, Luxembourg High Security Portal.

The conference, which concludes tomorrow (Wednesday), includes five panel discussions attended by industry experts and covered by more than 30 official speakers, which discuss mechanisms to mitigate the impact of economic challenges, design, build and sustain the trust system, ways to maintain the vitality of free zones through strategies that ensure their prosperity, ways to deal with changes in corporate governance, and confidence-building mechanisms in the fields of digitization and data.

80 million jobs

H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, President of the World Free Zones Organization, said: "Dubai is hosting the largest edition of the World Free Zones Organization since its inception in 2013, reflecting the organization's commitment to representing the interests and role of free zones globally in the global economic system, as one of the most vital economic engines in developing and strengthening global supply chains and trade. Today, the global free zones number more than 4,80 free zones, according to the latest statistics, and provide more than <> million jobs, so it is necessary to enable various mechanisms of joint cooperation between free zones, government bodies and international organizations to achieve the highest levels of integration to increase investment and economic return at the national and global levels, knowing that more than a third of global trade passes through free zones.

Over the past decade, the organization has been keen to encourage constructive dialogue and enhance opportunities for cooperation with international organizations, government bodies and free zones to support the ambitions of the organization, in order to achieve a strategic goal of achieving growth and prosperity in the global economy."
More advanced in activating and operating free zones for sustainable economic development.

The ninth edition will provide more in-depth topics on trends and innovations in the development of the free zone model in terms of operation and infrastructure, as well as various policies and initiatives."

Exceptional Initiatives

The World Free Zones Organization will showcase its exceptional programs and initiatives to increase the competitiveness and progress of global free zones, highlighting the "Izdihar" Free Zones Index, which aims to encourage free zones to adopt sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. It will also unveil the "Safe Zone Certification Program", which reflects best practices in combating illicit trade, money laundering and human trafficking.

In its strategic direction on developing a digital transformation approach and the skills of employees to enable them to adopt digital solutions in their business processes, and to serve companies to manage their business remotely, the organization will present the details of the "Digital Zone Certification Program" designed by the World Free Zone Organization in cooperation with an international consulting firm.

The WFZ Academy in cooperation with international organizations will offer a range of courses, research and educational tools under the supervision of a global group of academics and experts. The Digital Academy aims to provide added value to those wishing to improve their job skills. The Academy's most prominent programs include the Leadership Development Program, which focuses on empowering and preparing leaders in the management of imports, exports and global trade.

Today, FAO has more than 1550,140 members from 12 countries and enjoys global representation through 42 regional offices around the world and <> national focal points. The organization is witnessing an increasing dependence of free zones on their contribution, services and the network of qualitative strategic partnerships linking its members, especially with the expansion of free zones significantly in terms of number, size and importance.