First-Ever Global Business Forum ASEAN Concludes with 1,368 Participants from 58 Countries and 180 Investor Meetings

A total of 1,368 delegates from 58 countries – including 250 virtual participants – attended the first edition of the Global Business Forum (GBF) ASEAN in Dubai, which concluded today with a total of 180 bilateral business meetings taking place on the sidelines of the event.

His Excellency Hamad Buamim, President and CEO of Dubai Chamber said: “The total number of participants and sessions are strong indicators that the Global Business Forum ASEAN is off to a promising start, and that the grand event has come at the perfect time to provide a needed boost to the economic and trade relations between the UAE and the region.”

“The Forum offered a platform for decision makers from both sides to exchange views and expertise, showcase the most prominent projects, and shed light on potential opportunities for collaboration that set the stage for future partnership agreements and lay the groundwork for a new era,” H.E. Buamim added. “Over the course of two days, GBF ASEAN offered a range of scenarios and commentary about current collaboration efforts and trade relations between the GCC and ASEAN, outlining strategic future scenarios that aim to develop an integrated ecosystem that all partners can benefit from.”

“We can confidently assert that the inaugural Global Business Forum ASEAN has succeeded in meeting its objectives. Our goal was to introduce the local business community to the vast opportunities that collaboration with ASEAN countries will bring to the table, all the while drawing international participants’ attention to the central role that Dubai plays as a gateway into the GCC and Middle East region.”

Global Business Forum ASEAN was held December 8-9 and organised by Dubai Chamber in partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, under the theme ‘The New Frontiers’. The Forum is part of Dubai Chamber’s flagship Global Business Forum series, which was launched in 2013 to explore economic opportunities in Latin America and Africa.