DUBAI — The Emirates Competitiveness Council (ECC) has announced its partners will be actively contributing to the forthcoming Global Competitiveness Summit, the first such meeting to be held in the Middle East. The conference, organized by the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC) and hosted by ECC, will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Nov. 27-29 through the support of partners including Competitiveness Office of Abu Dhabi (COAD), Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and Dubai FDI, the foreign investment promotion office of the Department of Economic Development (DED). These organizations actively practice and enable environments that promote innovation, in the process collaboratively supporting the UAE's drive to build a knowledge-based economy. Pursuing a policy built on competing through innovation is a key pillar of UAE Vision 2021, leading to enhancing the UAE's social welfare and prosperity. The summit boasts an array of leading voices in the landscape of global innovation, presenting delegates with thought leadership debate and sharing of best practices on national competitiveness. As host nation, it will allow the UAE to showcase local innovation expertise, elevating its leadership on a global arena alongside the key supporting partners. Commenting on the active contribution made by the partners to the UAE's knowledge driven economy and establishment of the Global GFCC Summit, Abdullah Lootah, Secretary General of the Emirates Competitiveness Council said: “Through our wise leadership we have our nation's Vision 2021. Achieving this vision requires collaborative efforts to embrace key pillars of innovation and competitiveness that will lead to long term prosperity for the UAE and its people. Achieving sustainable growth requires the support of our partners, from both government and private sectors, who undertake the innovation approach and are important institutions in shaping the competitiveness landscape. A dynamic information and telecommunication infrastructure (ICT) is also a critical pillar to building a knowledge-driven economy, a priority task recognized by the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, said: “International rankings and reports, such as The World Economic Forum's annual Global Information Technology Report, ranked the UAE among the leaders globally for ICT infrastructure. We have a demonstrated commitment to developing policies and actions that continue to ensure the UAE's ICT readiness and innovation potential.” “The Global Competitiveness Summit is the perfect platform for sharing knowledge that would help us enhance innovation in our sector, as this is directly related to the ability of countries to increase their productivity and their competitiveness ”, he added. Speaking on Dubai FDI's involvement in the summit, Fahad Al Gergawi, Chief Executive Officer of the Dubai FDI, said: “A growth trajectory of foreign direct investment is essential for the UAE to sustain current and future competitiveness. This leads to business opportunities and job creation benefits, but pertinently contributes to a flow of knowledge transfer, the reason we're supporting the Global Competitiveness Summit. There is a strong correlation between a nation's competitiveness and how much it attracts foreign direct investment, which is proven by many economic studies and reports, such as the ‘Ease of Doing Business Report' issued by the World Bank.” — SG
