Ambassador Martina Strong, U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E., and The Honorable Kathi Vidal, Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, spoke to the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s Board of Directors’ member companies at an exclusive dinner event held at Jazz by City at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai on Tuesday, February 13.

Ambassador Strong thanked the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council for its work in promoting the bilateral business, investment, and trade relationship and highlighted momentum in areas of technology cooperation, especially in light of the World Governments Summit (WGS). She remarked that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo’s visit to the U.A.E. served as a catalyst for deeper cooperation in a host of commercial technology-related areas, particularly in Artificial Intelligence. Ambassador Strong emphasized the U.A.E.’s ambition and focus on frontier technologies in the key sectors of areas of health, finance, mobility, and space, which will drive the economy of the future. She noted that this focus on the future presents significant opportunities for both countries to build upon and drive innovation. She noted that while the region currently faces headwinds, the U.S.-U.A.E. relationship enjoys deeper and broader commercial and trade relationships than ever before. Ambassador Strong reaffirmed that the U.S. government is working closely with the U.A.E. not only as a strong regional partner but as one of its most important global partners.

U.S. Ambassador and Under Secretary of Commerce Highlight Key Future Areas of U.S.-U.A.E. Commercial Cooperation and Hear from Private Sector Leaders about Business in the U.A.E and the Region (L) The Honorable Martina Strong, U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E., and (R) Danny Sebright, President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Ambassador Martina Strong, U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E., and The Honorable Kathi Vidal, Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, spoke to the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s Board of Directors’ member companies at an exclusive dinner event held at Jazz by City at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai on Tuesday, February 13. Ambassador Strong thanked the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council for its work in promoting the bilateral business, investment, and trade relationship and highlighted momentum in areas of technology cooperation, especially in light of the World Governments Summit (WGS). She remarked that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo’s visit to the U.A.E. served as a catalyst for deeper cooperation in a host of commercial technology-related areas, particularly in Artificial Intelligence. Ambassador Strong emphasized the U.A.E.’s ambition and focus on frontier technologies in the key sectors of areas of health, finance, mobility, and space, which will drive the economy of the future. She noted that this focus on the future presents significant opportunities for both countries to build upon and drive innovation. She noted that while the region currently faces headwinds, the U.S.-U.A.E. relationship enjoys deeper and broader commercial and trade relationships than ever before. Ambassador Strong reaffirmed that the U.S. government is working closely with the U.A.E. not only as a strong regional partner but as one of its most important global partners.

Undersecretary Vidal underscored the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) policy and the role that robust protection of intellectual property (IP) plays both in the U.A.E. and on the world stage. She stressed that strong IP protection systems and processes are key to fostering innovation, and told the audience that the U.A.E. government is a willing and ready partner for collaboration on progress towards developing new policies for the future. She echoed Ambassador Strong’s comments on the dynamism and forward-thinking nature of the U.A.E., and the vision and foresight of the government to develop policies that facilitate innovation in this dynamic economy.  Undersecretary Vidal highlighted key areas of focus for her office and encouraged businesses to engage with the Department of Commerce on antitrust issues, competition law, and a host of other business issues, in addition to matters related to IP registration and protection. She explained that one of the core areas of alignment between the U.S. and U.A.E. is bringing more people into the “innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.”     

Business Council President Mr. Danny Sebright asked company executives to outline a snapshot of the current business environment, including opportunities and risks.  The bulk of the conversation focused on areas where U.S. and U.A.E. companies are currently collaborating, and where they see future opportunities.  Given recent headlines and focus of this year’s World Government Summit, the conversation centered on the technology sector and AI. Company executives lauded the forward-thinking vision of the U.A.E. on AI policy and the opportunities it provides for business. Echoing the Ambassador’s comments, they said that these opportunities include partnerships in healthcare, education, government, and financial services. Senior company representatives also cited the increasing number of the U.S.-U.A.E. AI partnerships that help drive innovation. U.A.E. companies highlighted the importance of partnerships with U.S. companies because of the leading role U.S. technology and industry giants and SMEs have in driving innovation globally, and because of the values U.S. and U.A.E. companies share in the area of technology innovation. 

Conversation over dinner then turned to sustainability and COP 28 legacy projects. U.A.E. energy company executives emphasized that the U.S. is an important market that provides opportunities for investment in renewable energy projects and told the group to watch for major new announcements in 2024.  U.A.E. executives also highlighted important partnerships with U.S companies for projects in the U.A.E. related to carbon capture and clean energy, and noted the innovation the U.A.E. is pioneering in the energy markets such as new fuels and nuclear capabilities. 

Finally, senior representatives in the U.A.E. and U.S. banking sectors commented on the security and stability of the U.A.E. that makes the country a prime investment location despite current regional conflicts. Banking representatives also noted the growth of sustainable finance and the ways banks are making an impact in the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) field.

For questions about this event, please contact Amira Siddiqi at asiddiqi@usuaebusiness.org.