The United Arab Emirates participated in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)'s biggest trade event of the year entitled, "Modernising Trade in the Indian Ocean Rim Conference" which concluded today in Durban, South Africa
DURBAN, (Pakistan Point News - 19th Jun, 2019) The United Arab Emirates participated in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)'s biggest trade event of the year entitled, "Modernising Trade in the Indian Ocean Rim Conference" which concluded today in Durban, South Africa.
The three-day conference gathered more than 100 delegates from IORA Member States, comprising of government officials and the business community. Speakers included leading figures from the International Chamber of Commerce, Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, UN Women, and Chambers of Commerce and Industry from around the Indian Ocean Rim region.
Two delegations from the ministries of Economy and Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation participated in the event which included two workshops that addressed issues relating to commerce, investment and women's business empowerment in IORA Member States.
Addressing the event, Mohammed Nasser Hamdan Al Zaabi, Director of the Trade Promotion Department at the Ministry of Economy, highlighted the initiatives taken by the UAE to provide investors with a robust business-friendly environment, noting that the UAE economy grew by 1.7 percent at constant prices in 2018 compared to the previous year.
"The UAE sets a model to be copied for women's empowerment across various fields, with women playing a significant role in fueling the country's economic development drive," said Al Zaabi.
He also underlined the importance the UAE is attaching to gender equality, citing the Gender Balance Council established to enhance women's role in the development drive.
It's worth mentioning that MoFAIC, in collaboration with the General Secretariat of IORA, organised in Abu Dhabi on December 10-11 2018 a workshop on financial inclusion for women entrepreneurs. The two-day workshop brought together the private sector, government civil society and women entrepreneurs from IORA’s 22 Member States and nine Dialogue Partners.
