The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted His Excellency Majid Al-Suwaidi, Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in New York, for a private, closed-door luncheon and discussion Thursday afternoon. The luncheon provided public and private sector stakeholders with an opportunity to hear firsthand from H.E. Al-Suwaidi about the growing U.S.-U.A.E. diplomatic relationship, including trade and commercial relations and economic growth.

Before presenting H.E. Al-Suwaidi, President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Danny Sebright said, “The bilateral relationship between the U.S. and U.A.E. exhibits three core components that make up its foundation: political and diplomatic; business and commercial; and defense and security. The ever-growing strength of these three pillars are a testament to why the U.A.E. is one of our closest partners in the region. These pillars are not only strong but highly diversified, for example the U.A.E. provides the seventh fastest growing foreign direct investment (FDI) into the U.S. and the U.S. is the number one provider of FDI into the U.A.E.”

H.E. Majid Al-Suwaidi, Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in New York, discussing opportunities for American businesses to help diversify the U.A.E.’s economy.

During the luncheon, H.E. Al-Suwaidi discussed business opportunities for Americans in the U.A.E. as well as the diverse range of Emirati investments in the United States. He also highlighted his core mission as Consul General in New York.

“From an early stage the U.A.E. has had a strong connection with American companies and we want to see those relationships grow and develop further,” Consul General Al-Suwaidi said. “Part of my job here is to continue raising awareness of the U.A.E.’s role as a reliable partner in the Eastern US region and help to foster connections that lead to new economic opportunities and cultural engagement between our two countries.”

Mr. Sebright concluded the afternoon roundtable by thanking H.E. Al-Suwaidi and the business community for joining the discussion.

For your information, the Consul General’s biography can be found below.

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His Excellency Majid Al-Suwaidi
Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in New York

H.E. Majid Al-Suwaidi is the Consul General of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) in New York, appointed in September 2015. H.E. Al-Suwaidi, an expert in international negotiations, has led the U.A.E. Mission to the United Nations’ (UN) engagement in matters covering a wide range of issues relating to economic growth and development.

Most recently, H.E. Al-Suwaidi served as Lead Negotiator on Climate Change, Energy and Sustainability for the U.A.E. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He worked closely with the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to negotiate the landmark climate change agreement, which was adopted at the Paris Climate Conference (COP21) in 2015. H.E. Al-Suwaidi was also instrumental in the advancement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which set an international mandate to take action on global sustainability issues.

H.E. Al-Suwaidi previously worked as a reservoir geologist in the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).  He has nearly 10 years of experience in the oil and gas sector, in all stages from exploration to development. He is also an accomplished researcher. His work has been published in numerous articles and featured in several major academic conferences.

An ADNOC Scholar, H.E. Al-Suwaidi received his undergraduate degree from Brunel University in the United Kingdom and graduate MSc degree from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.