The UAE will host the world’s first Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) in 2016. The biennial forum will bring together representatives from global governments, industries, civil society, students and academia to shape the future of manufacturing.

Hosted by the UAE’s Ministry of Economy with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Global Agenda Council for the Future of Manufacturing, the two-day summit, in the second half of 2016, will focus on innovation, infrastructure, capital, markets, value chains, policy, society, environment and skills.

The summit will debut in Abu Dhabi next year and will return to the UAE capital in 2018 with the emirate hosting every second edition thereafter.

The inaugural summit is expected to attract more than 1,000 government and industry attendees, plus representatives of civil society and more than 300 UAE and Gulf industrial stakeholders, students and academia representatives.

The high-level, first-of-its-kind initiative will be chaired by Unido’s director general Li Yong and the UAE Minister of Economy Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori.

GATHERING OF MINDS

“This will be a global gathering of minds comprising public and private sector leaders and key representatives of civil society,” said Al Mansoori. “They will shape a vision for the future of manufacturing. Historically and until today, manufacturing is an engine for economic growth, driving skills development, innovation and technology across all sectors.

“The UAE believes that industrial innovation is vital to our goal of building a sustainable, knowledge-based economy and this summit gives us the opportunity to address, and showcase, the country’s knowledge-based industrial sector to the world.

“Never before has manufacturing been the focus of such a meeting of minds that will enable all participants to share best practices and experiences from all over the world, facilitate knowledge transfer from leading international experts, along with the exclusive opportunity to strengthen business networks that could, eventually, stimulate foreign direct investment and economic activity in countries represented.”

Minister Al Mansoori said the hosting of the Summit in Abu Dhabi is testament to the UAE’s growing role in developing a global, knowledge-based economy that values human capital development and innovation.

“These attributes, set by the UAE’s Vision 2021, will position our country to become a leading manufacturing hub, investing in global value chains and enabling a sustainable future for many generations to come,” he said.

The UAE’s Vision 2021 National Agenda focuses on creating national policies that achieve sustainable growth. Manufacturing and the knowledge-based and innovative industrial sector currently account for around 11 per cent of total UAE GDP and the aim is to grow this to 20 per cent in 2020 and 25 per cent in 2025.

The minister added that in deciding to partner the UAE in co-organising the summit and shaping the future of manufacturing, UNIDO had “come to the right place, at the right time.”

Unido’s Yong said the summit will be a catalyst for meeting these goals in line with manufacturing’s proven historic record as a crucially important source of national and international development which is still relevant today.

“Recent examples of the role played by industrial development and manufacturing, including China, the Republic of Korea, and the many other Asian ‘tigers’ and ‘dragons’, speak for themselves. These success stories represent well-recognised models to foster structural change and industrial development while boosting economic growth and poverty reduction.”