Three UAE government ministers will join ministers from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) -the ten-member economic and political bloc –at the first ever Global Business Forum ASEAN, which takes place at Expo 2020 Dubai on December 8^th-9^th.

Organised by Dubai Chamber in partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai, GBF ASEAN will be held under the theme The New Frontiers. The high-level forum will explore the changing dynamics of ASEAN countries and examine the opportunities to increase bilateral trade, business and investment ties between the two regions.

Representing the UAE at GBF ASEAN will be H.E Reem Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai; H.E Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications; and H.E.DrThani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade.

The three UAE ministers will be addressing the event alongsideH.E.Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dubai Chambers and H.E. Hamad Buamim, President & CEO of Dubai Chamber.

Government ministers from the ASEAN region participating at the forum includeH.E Ramon Lopez,Secretary (Minister), Department of Trade & Industry,Republic of the Philippines; H.E William Dar, Secretary (Minister(, Department of Agriculture, Republic of Philippines, H.E. Fortunato De La Pena, Secretary (Minister), Secretary of Science and Technology; Vice Chairman, Philippine Space Council, Republic of Philippines, H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary General, ASEAN Secretariat; Mohmed Razip Haji Hasan, Director General, Islamic Tourism Centre; Prof. Romano, Prodi President, Italy-ASEAN Association, Italy;Ayman Amin Sejiny, Chief Executive Officer, The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, Saudi Arabia; and Dr. Brian Shegar, President, UAE-Singapore Business Council, Singapore

The UAE and ASEAN government representatives will join more than 40 speakers at the inaugural GBF ASEAN, which takes place on the side-lines of Expo 2020 Dubai and feature a comprehensive programme of more than 25 panel discussions, presentations and workshops aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two regions.

“The line-up of high-calibre speakers reflects the strong commitment from the UAE and ASEAN countries in expanding economic cooperation and tapping into existing trade and investment synergies. There is vast potential to forge new partnerships between UAE businesses and their ASEAN counterparts and we look forward to exploring that at the upcoming forum,” said H.E. Hamad Buamim, President & CEO of Dubai Chamber.

H.E. Buamim described GBF ASEAN as an ideal platform for UAE businessmen to explore new investment opportunities emerging across promising ASEAN markets, adding that the forum is also an opportunity to showcase Dubai’s position as a global gateway that ASEAN-based companies can leverage to expand their reach.

High-level speakers will share their insights on a wide range of topics and issues including, Islamic tourism, Islamic finance, regional economic integration in the ASEAN region, future growth sectors and UAE-ASEAN trade synergies, among many other important trends reshaping economies in both regions.

GBF ASEAN is the newest edition to Dubai Chamber’s Global Business Forum series, which also includes GBF Africa and GBF Latin America. This is the second Global Business Forum that will take place in conjunction with Expo 2020 Dubai, for which Dubai Chamber is the Official Business Integration Partner.