“The EPD is a wonderful example of our close partnership with the business community to advance key mutual national goals and as always in atmosphere of great respect and appreciation – our door is always open,” so said H.E. Saeed al Hajeri, Minister of State, U.A.E. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

That idea framed the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council–hosted Private Sector Dinner in Abu Dhabi on 14 January 2026, convened ahead of the 2026 U.S.-U.A.E. Economic Policy Dialogue (EPD) which occurred on 15 January. 

The dinner, moderated by Danny Sebright, President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, brought together senior U.S. and U.A.E. government officials and executives from leading companies in multiple sectors to exchange perspectives on the policy and commercial priorities shaping bilateral economic, trade, and investment engagement.

Prior to the dinner, the U.S. – U.A.E. Business Council canvassed its nearly 300 members, and also with input from the AmCham Abu Dhabi submitted a policy memo with business input to both government delegations.  These themes were discussed at dinner.

Key Participants:

• His Excellency Saeed bin Mubarak Al Hajeri, Minister of State, U.A.E. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Eric Gaudiosi, Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Mission in Abu Dhabi

Discussion Highlights: 

The dinner provided a forum for detailed dialogue on key policy and commercial priorities, including:

• Energy: Opportunities to advance energy deployment, nuclear collaboration, and investment frameworks in alignment with both countries’ long-term strategic goals. 
• Technology and Digital Infrastructure: Policies to support AI, data governance, and secure digital networks while maintaining trusted bilateral collaboration. 
• Financial and Investment Flows: Mechanisms to accelerate two-way capital deployment, promote transparency, and mitigate regulatory friction. 
• Aerospace, Defense, and Critical Industries: Identifying pathways for public-private cooperation that strengthen industrial competitiveness and resilience. 
• Regulatory Alignment: Streamlining export control and technology standards to enable scalable collaboration across sectors without compromising security. 
• Innovation Partnerships: Encouraging joint ventures and research initiatives to translate bilateral dialogue into concrete commercial outcomes, including projects such as the Pax Silica initiative, which seeks to advance collaborative approaches to critical materials supply chains, and technology development. 

Participants emphasized the importance of aligning government policies with private sector priorities to ensure that regulatory frameworks and emerging sector strategies enable sustainable investment and innovation. The discussion highlighted emerging sectors where rapid growth and technological change, AI, energy, aerospace, digital infrastructure, and critical materials, present both opportunity and complexity.

Why This Matters: 

The 2026 EPD comes at a moment of significant momentum in the bilateral relationship:

• Rapid growth in commercial ties across multiple sectors
• Increased two-way investment flows and strategic long-term capital commitments
• Deeper cooperation on national security and technology governance
• Expansion of public-private initiatives, such as Pax Silica, that translate dialogue into actionable outcomes

By convening senior executives alongside government leaders, the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council continues to ensure that the EPD reflects the realities of commerce, aligns on shared priorities, and identifies tangible areas for U.S.-U.A.E. collaboration.

To learn more about the U.A.E.’s business landscape, please consult the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council and Morgan Lewis’s Guide to Doing Business in the U.A.E. To learn more about this event and the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s programming, please contact Matthew Gardell at mgardell@usuaebusines.org.