Dubai Chamber to Organize 2nd Global Business Forum on Latin America in February

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has announced that it will organise and host the 2nd Global Business Forum (GBF) on Latin America in Dubai on 27th-28th February, 2018, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

The two-day forum will be held at Dubai’s Atlantis Hotel, bringing together top-level decision makers, including heads of state, ministers, dignitaries, prominent CEOs, heads of private banks, sovereign wealth funds, private equity firms, business leaders, and entrepreneurs from the UAE, GCC, Latin America and beyond.

Held under the theme "Connect - Collaborate - Grow", GBF Latin America will provide a unique opportunity to listen to global thought leaders engage in inspirational, thought-provoking, and future-focused dialogues that shape the future of governments and business.

Sessions during the forum will highlight key factors fuelling Latin America’s growth, explore potential to build new partnerships between the UAE and Latin America, and examine trade and investment opportunities that are opening up as the global economy evolves.

Hamad Buamim, President and CEO of Dubai Chamber, noted that this year’s forum comes at a time when Latin America’s economy is experiencing an economic rebound, with many governments and businesses in the region taking bold steps to boost foreign trade and attract foreign investment.

He explained that the forum aims to encourage greater collaboration, investment, trade and commerce between business communities in Latin America and the UAE, leveraging Dubai as a global gateway.

"Latin America markets is ripe exciting opportunities which UAE businesses can greatly benefit from, especially within the areas of agriculture, tourism and manufacturing, and we look forward to exploring new avenues of economic cooperation at this year’s forum.

At the same time, Dubai can offer Latin American countries the right level of expertise and investment to fill market gaps and support the region’s economic growth," said Buamim.

He pointed to the huge success of the 1st GBF Latin America which the chamber hosted in 2016, which was followed by two Dubai Chamber-led trade missions to Latin America covering Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama.

Last year, the Chamber opened a representative office in Sao Paulo, its first in the region, which has played a key role in promoting Dubai as an attractive business hub for Latin American companies.

The Chamber recently announced that it will plan to open a second regional office in Argentina in 2018.

GBF Latin America is part of the Global Business Forum series launched by the Dubai Chamber which focuses on Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and Latin America.

To date, the series has hosted 10 heads of state, 84 ministers and dignitaries, 5,800 executives and decision makers from 65 countries. Dubai Chamber is collaborating with the Economist Group in developing the content of the forum.

The previous Global Business Forum on Latin America Dubai in 2016 attracted more than 800 participants from 32 countries, while more than 120 bilateral meetings were held during the event.