The 12^th World Chambers Congress in Dubai, originally scheduled for February 2021, has now been postponed to November 2021 to coincide with the new dates for Expo 2020 Dubai, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has announced.

Co-organised by Dubai Chamber and the ICC World Chambers Federation, the upcoming Congress will now be held on November 23-25, 2021 under the theme Generation Next: Chambers 4.0.

The global forum, hosted in a different region every two years, is considered as the largest event of its kind, gathering the World Chamber Federation’s global network comprising of 12,000 chambers of commerce from 100 countries.

The Congress is a unique platform for chamber leaders and members to connect and collaborate, share knowledge, promote trade and investment opportunities and explore new solutions and best practices adopted by chambers of commerce from around the world.

H.E. Hamad Buamim, President & CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Chairman of the World Chambers Federation, said the decision to postpone WCC 2021 is due to a number of important factors, which include business challenges resulting from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and Expo 2020 Dubai, which has been rescheduled for October 2021.

Buamim described the world expo in Dubai as a key element of the WCC 2021 experience that will provide delegates with plenty of networking and collaboration opportunities and an ideal platform to showcase and learn about innovative solutions.

“The added nine months delay will allow the ICC-WCF and Dubai Chamber to continue working hand in hand in order to organise a successful event and deliver the best Congress experience possible for our delegates. The theme of WCC 2021 — Generation Next: Chambers 4.0 — is now more relevant than ever before, as chambers around the world realise the need to adapt to a fast-changing business landscape and leverage Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to better serve their members.

He added that Dubai Chamber and its partners are sparing no effort to deliver an exceptional Congress that will put the spotlight on Dubai as a global business hub at the forefront of innovation offering unparalleled access to the emerging world, in addition to world-class infrastructure and tourist attractions.

Held on the sidelines of the 12^th WCC is the World Chambers Competition, which is the only award programme of its kind to recognise innovative projects undertaken by chambers from around the world.

ICC, founded in 1919, the institutional representative of 45 million companies, is the world’s largest business organisation and has played a crucial role as a catalyst of trade. ICC believes that strengthening commercial ties among nations is not only good for business, but also for improving global living standards, reducing inequalities and maintaining peace, a belief that Dubai shares.