His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, has today officially opened the fortieth meeting of the World Free Zones Organisation in Dubai. Organised under the high patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai at Madinat Jumeirah, the event also marked 10 years of the World FZO and the organisation’s new branding.
The congress was one of the biggest since the organisation was formed and drew Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and over 2000 business people and officials from 136 countries. The innovative free zone model that was pointed out by Sheikh Ahmed came to the forefront during the Dubai assembling whereby it added the main drive to the cities economic formation that aligns with the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) that seeks to establish Dubai as one of the three biggest urban economy within the subsequent decade.
Mr Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, the UAE Minister of Economy noted that 44 free zones in the UAE act as hubs in the Asian, European, and African continents’s markets. These zones have emerged as key economic entities; more than 60 thousand firms made their home here, and they played an important role in the improvement of the UAE’s place in the global trade system.
During the event that marked the official introduction of the World FZO’s new brand image, Dr Mohammed Al Zarooni, Chairman of the World FZO explained the changes. As the three strategic focus areas that run as the foundation for the organization’s work henceforth, he underlined Impact, Influence, and Trust. The congress was dedicated to the zones and the changing global economic landscape and the place of free zones in the world economy.