The World Economic Forum (WEF) will convene TradeTech Forum 2024 on February 27, 2024 in the same venue Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre Hall 11 where the World Trade Organization’s 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) is to be organized.
The TradeTech Forum 2024 is the first-of-its-kind dedicated gathering on technologies for trade is hosted together with the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Economy and the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development will be participated by 300 ministers, business leaders, trade leaders and experts, as well as civil society, to examine the use of cutting-edge technologies in trade., informed WEF.
It draws on the TradeTech Global initiative, housed at the World Economic Forum, that strives to revolutionise global trade by piloting new technologies in trade and exploring policy and business models.
“It’s time to revitalise trade and this includes the urgent need to understand and integrate new technologies,” said Børge Brende, President, World Economic Forum. “MC13 and the TradeTech Forum give us the opportunity to build on the work done in Davos to accelerate technology deployment. That can drive a trade recovery and get us out of the trap of ‘slowbalization’.”
Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Chair of MC13, said: “Technology has the potential to positively impact every link in global supply chains, from automated customs checks to AI-directed inventory management systems. It can also expand the reach of trade, enabling smaller nations and SMEs to participate in the global trading system equitably and securely.
“The TradeTech Forum is an opportunity for global trade leaders to share insights, explore areas of collaboration and collectively shape the future of global trade. I look forward to constructive and insightful discussions that will help pave the way for smarter, cleaner and more inclusive supply chains.”
The discussions in Abu Dhabi will follow on from the Forum’s Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos where participants considered strategies for upgrading the trade system to meet present needs, adds WEF in its press note.
Panel discussions and roundtables at the TradeTech Forum will focus on how technologies could make trade more sustainable, inclusive and development-oriented.
A TradeTech Fair will showcase trade innovators as well as collaborative coalitions working to overcome network barriers to scaling new trade technology globally.
