DED Dubai and AD DED to jointly host UAE Economic Outlook forum, 16-17 December

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai along with the Department of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi will host the ‘UAE Economic Outlook 2015’ forum at the Armani Hotel Dubai 16-17 December 2014.

The forum, being held for the second year, will evaluate the economic prospects of the UAE in light of the future outlook for the global economy. Senior government officials, decision-makers, business leaders, bankers and local and well as international economic experts and researchers will attend the two-day forum.

The first day of the forum will focus on the UAE economic outlook for 2015 in light of the recent global and regional trends and the ongoing economic development in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The second day will bring leading global and local innovators and experts to share strategies and experiences in fostering the development of knowledge-based economic activities. The role of the private sector in harnessing opportunities for innovation will be particularly highlighted.

Speaking on the relevance of the forum, Sheikh Hamdan said it will bring a prominent group of strategists and decision makers from the public and private sectors in the country to highlight the UAE’s pride of place on the global map.

His Highness said: "The UAE Economic Outlook has been effective in promoting economic development across the UAE in general and Dubai in particular, and in charting the future of our beloved country, which has varied opportunities for the global business community. I congratulate the Departments of Economic Development in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for this unique and meaningful initiative to promote public-private partnerships that can help achieve our growth targets. Such partnerships can only happen through dialogue and exchange of views and strategies that keep us abreast of global developments and economic variables.”

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Economic Development Committee in Dubai, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation and Dubai Airports, Chairman & Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and, and His Excellency Sultan Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy, will deliver the keynote speeches at the forum in the presence of Their Excellences Ali Majid Al Mansouri, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi DED, and Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of DED, Dubai.

The first session of the opening day will be addressed by Harald Finger,Deputy Division Chief in the Regional Studies Division, Middle East and Central Asia Department, International Monetary Fund , who will speak on the latest developments and prospects for the global economy and its impact on regional economic performance, especially economic activity in the UAE.

The opening day will see three presentations - Shorooq Al Zaabi,  Head; Development Indicators & Future Studies Division Project Manager; Abu Dhabi Centre for Economic Policies & Research in Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, will present the ‘Abu Dhabi Economic Outlook 2015’ and Dr. Mohammed Lehouel, Chief Economist at the Department of Economic Development, Dubai will present the ‘Dubai Economic Outlook,’ followed by Dr Bejan Roohi, Managing Director and Head of Origination and Client Coverage and Co-Head of Wholesale Banking, Standard Chartered Bank - Abu Dhabi, who will present an overview of the impact of the economic developments and future outlook on the performance of the UAE private sector.

A panel discussion attended by leading economists and businessmen and moderated by Dr. Tommy Weir, Founder and Managing Director of Emerging Markets Leadership Center, will conclude the first day’s programme. The panelists will include Mr. Mohammed Saleh Shalwah, the Adviser to the Minister of Economy; Dr. Abdulrazak Al Fares, Chief Economist, Dubai Economic Council; Pratibha Thaker, Regional Director, Middle East & Africa, The Economist Intelligence Unit; Gary Dugan, Chief Investment Officer & Head of Investment Strategy for Global Wealth Division, National Bank of Abu Dhabi; H.E. Mohammed Abdul Jalil Al Fahim, Chairman, Alfahim, and Mr. Shehab Gargash, Founder & CEO, Daman Investments. 

Rashed Abdulla Al Zaabi, Acting Executive Director of Planning and Statistics at the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development will deliver the opening speech on the second day, followed by a panel session on international experiences and the UAE vision of building a knowledge-based economy. Thorvaldur Gylfason, Professor of Economics at University of Iceland; Paul Moreno-Lopez, World Bank GCC Programme Leader for Economic Management; Dr. Sami Mahroum, Director, INSEAD Innovation & Policy Initiative; Professor Olav Wicken, Professor at the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo will be the panelists. 

The final session will evaluate local expertise in the areas of innovation and encouraging knowledge transfer towards building a knowledge-based economy. H.E. Ahmed Saeed Al-Calily, Director General, Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee; Mr. Homaid Al Shemmari, Chief Executive Officer, Mubadala’s Aerospace & Engineering Services; Ayesha Sultan Al Junaidy, Director of Corporate Strategy, DP World; Dr. Azza El Shinnawy, Director, Government Solutions, Microsoft; Sam Blatteis, Google Head of Government Relations and Public Policy, Gulf Countries will be the panelists.