LONDON: The Arab British Chamber of Commerce is set to host the second Arab-British Economic Summit next month as part of its ongoing activities to enhance cooperation between the UK and the Arab world, organizers said.
The summit, which will be held on Nov. 2 at the Hilton London Metropole, will be held under the patronage of Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and includes 34 speakers, among them Nayef Al-Hajjraf, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Bahraini Minister of Industry and Commerce Zayed Al-Zayani, and UK Trade Commissioner for the Middle East Simon Penney.
“The event will bring together government officials, senior executives, thought leaders and decision-makers from across the UK and the Arab world to share their ideas and debate the diverse trade and investment opportunities that are emerging in the new emerging technology based industries,” ABCC said.
Around 600 economic, financial and business experts are expected to participate in this year’s summit, which was set to be held on Sept. 15 but was postponed out of respect to the 10-day national mourning period in the UK following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8.
The summit, which will be held under the theme “Shaping a Shared Vision,” will highlight the strategic partnership between the UK and the Arab countries, with a focus on how to reshape trade relations between both sides in light of the technological and climate changes that are transforming business priorities and reshaping commercial relationships, ABCC said.
The high-level event “will seek to identify practical initiatives that can strengthen transnational trade ties and bilateral investment flows in the post-pandemic, post-Brexit low-carbon economy (and) discussions will concentrate on health care, education, financial services, hospitality, real estate, transport and other key sectors,” it added in a statement.
The sessions will include rebooting Arab-British trade, renewable energy, innovative education, accelerating health, the banking and fintech revolution and promoting digital cooperation.
The inaugural Arab-British Economic Summit was held in July 2019 and attracted hundreds of senior business executives, diplomats, government officials and investors, highlighting the enormous potential for closer UK-Arab cooperation and the keenness of both sides to strengthen their historic partnership, the chamber had said.
