27 February 2024

On Tuesday, 27 February 2024, the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a webinar with representatives from the U.S. Department of Commerce entitled “Leveraging the U.S. Commercial Service Advocacy Program.” This conversation detailed the ways in which the Advocacy Center supports U.S. businesses abroad and other ways businesses can utilize the U.S. Commercial Service. Click here to view the full webinar. 

Tanya Cole, Regional Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, described her experience in the U.A.E. over the last four months as a “business tsunami.” She noted the extensive opportunities for U.S. companies in the U.A.E. market, as evidenced by $129 billion worth of deals at the Dubai Airshow and the presence of 250 U.S. companies at Arab Health. Moreover, she highlighted the 19% growth in U.S.-U.A.E. trade over the past year to $31.4 billion.

Dr. Derek Schlickeisen, Country Manager for the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, and Oman at the U.S. Department of Commerce Advocacy Center, presented ways the Advocacy Center helps U.S. companies win foreign government contracts globally. He described USG advocacy as “government to government, a counterweight to foreign government political pressure, and intended to promote fairness in the tender processes and to be a champion for American exports.” Dr. Schlickeisen outlined the Advocacy Center’s step-by-step process for U.S. companies and the methods through which they advocate.  He stressed that the Advocacy Center’s services are free, approved 90-95% of the time, and completely confidential. He also provided successful case study examples, citing aerospace, defense, energy, and space as active sectors for the Advocacy Center. Click here to view the presentation.

Erick Kish, Deputy Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, and George Messiha, Senior Commercial Specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, provided an overview of the U.S. Commercial Service and its services for U.S. companies which includes advocacy, export promotion, commercial diplomacy, market intelligence, and business matchmaking. They detailed export promotion services in particular, such as initial market checks, international company profiles, international partner searches, and their gold key service. Moreover, they encouraged companies to look up their commercial service offices here and here. Click here to view the presentation. They also shared success stories, both in the commercial and policy arenas, along with highlighting upcoming trade shows in the U.A.E.

For contact details for U.S. Department of Commerce officials in the region, please click here. To connect with the Advocacy Center, please contact Dr. Derek Schlickeisen at Derek.Schlickeisen@trade.gov.