ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 01st Oct, 2020) Younis Haji Al Khoori, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, MoF, participated yesterday in a high-level G20 virtual forum titled ‘Enhancing Access to Opportunities in the middle East,’ organised by the International Monetary Fund, IMF, the Saudi Ministry of Finance and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority.
During the forum, the participants deliberated ways to enhance access to opportunities in Arab countries. It also aimed to benefit from global and regional experiences in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan, Saudi Minister of Finance; Dr. Ahmed Alkholifey, Governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority; and Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of IMF, Arab finance ministers and central bank governors, and leaders of international and regional financial institutions participated in the meeting.
During the forum, Al Khoori highlighted the need to benefit from opportunities in light of the COVID-19 crisis, and to enhance countries’ ability to adapt to the new environment it imposed. He emphasised enhancing market connectivity, creating platforms to help build talent, and facilitating access to knowledge and flexibility in labour markets. He stressed the need to ensure the private sector’s participation and bridge the financing gap for small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs.
He also called for cooperation and working towards recovering and achieving sustainable and inclusive growth to enhance future generations’ well-being and prosperity.
He said, "Despite the crisis, we are facing, we have witnessed new opportunities in various sectors, including telecommunications, e-payments, education technologies and healthcare services, which reaffirms that opportunities still exist."
During the first session, Ms. Kristalina Georgieva chaired a panel discussion on international experience with policies to promote access to opportunities. The second session was chaired by Dr. Ahmed Alkholifey and focused on policies to enhance access to opportunities in the MENA region. During this session, the participants discussed the roadmap for the 2021 annual meetings taking place in Marrakesh.
The UAE’s participation in the G20 meetings in 2020 came in response to the invitation it received from Saudi Arabia, during its presidency of the G20 until the end of November this year.
