Lieutenant-General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, inaugurated today, “Wednesday”, the activities of the Digital Economy Technologies Conference and Exhibition (Seamless), which will be held at the World Trade Center in Dubai and will last for a period of 10 and 11 April 2019 under the auspices of the League of Arab States and the Unity Council. The Arab Economic and the organization of the Terrapin International Company for the organization of conferences. The conference and exhibition is one of the largest platforms for modern technologies in the Middle East, and this year highlights cyber security, artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, digital currencies and machine learning.

This year’s conference and exhibition comes after the Arab League launched the joint Arab strategic vision for the digital economy last December in Abu Dhabi, and to complement the efforts of the Council, as a strategic partner for the conference, in activating specialized partnerships in various fields of the digital economy and providing a platform to review the latest models of technology applications for digital governments and digital identities. e-commerce and financial technology

The Council of Arab Economic Unity in the League of Arab States is keen to support and sponsor the conference in the Emirates annually, to confirm the pioneering role of the state and its support for joint Arab business opportunities, especially in the economic fields and modern technological applications.

His Highness toured the accompanying exhibition held on the sidelines of the conference, where he was briefed on some of the exhibits and modern technologies, and the latest technology in the areas of digital identity, digital payments, e-commerce, retail trade and financial technology, which has become the movement of systems and global development projects.

 

 

 

This year, the exhibition witnessed a distinguished attendance of 15,202 people, including 5,260 from outside the country, and the participation of 350 regional and international exhibitors, and 400 speakers from international bodies such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Harvard Innovation Laboratories and the Innovation Center in the United Kingdom, and 250 specialized sessions on the sidelines of the exhibition shed light on the latest Technologies and challenges in the world of the digital revolution, in addition to the participation of 50 start-up companies in the fields of changing technology

The leading role of the state in policies and legislation and the embrace of modern technologies

In the opening speech of the conference, His Excellency Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed Al-Rabie, Secretary-General of the Council of Arab Economic Unity stressed the importance of holding this conference in the United Arab Emirates, saying: “This year’s conference comes after the launch of the joint Arab strategic vision for the digital economy in Abu Dhabi last December, and here its importance emerges. In two parts, the first is the UAE’s embrace and care for the good and the interest of the Arab nation, where the launch of the joint Arab vision for the digital economy in Abu Dhabi was to frame the policies and legislation necessary to support economic growth and technological integration in our Arab world and enhance political and social stability in our Arab region, followed today by a conference And the Digital Economy Technologies Exhibition in Dubai to showcase the latest technology in various fields that support Arab governments and economic institutions in their digital transformation.”

He continued, “As for the second part, it is related to the Arab League’s issuance of the first draft of the joint Arab strategic vision, which highlighted 50 pilot programs and projects that the private sector can review to start coordinating efforts to implement and compete for them due to their large financial returns.”

Noting that “the strategic vision is the best, if not the only, opportunity that exists today, to unify the efforts of all Arab governments, ensure that all Arab countries keep pace with the digital revolution, and achieve its positive effects on economic growth and sustainable development, by integrating it with UN programs aimed at strengthening the economies of the Arab region.” and its stability.”

His Excellency Ambassador Al-Rabee said, “It would not have been possible to achieve this strategic vision on the ground if not because of a leader who foresaw the future and carried the concerns of development in the Arab region, to enjoy prosperity and goodness. Hence, on behalf of the League of Arab States and the Council of Arab Economic Unity, I extend my thanks and gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, for his sponsorship of this strategic project, and for his insightful vision that the project contributes to supporting the development of sustainable Arab economies. in our region, and the direct and indirect effects of this development on the whole world.”

He also extended his “thanks, gratitude and gratitude to His Highness Lieutenant-General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for sponsoring the conference, supporting it and following it closely.

And his confident view of its positive dimensions for the benefit of Arab societies, which is reflected in his noble saying of the legacy of a great man, which he reminds us of at every meeting with him: “We in the Emirates are completing the path of Zayed the Good.”

For his part, His Excellency Dr. Ali Mohamed El Khoury, Advisor to the Council of Arab Economic Unity and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Union for the Digital Economy, noted that: “Security in its traditional sense means the ability of countries to protect their borders, lands, gains, and social and cultural structures.

But today, the concept has become more broad in light of the presence of big data and social networks closely interconnected with each other, and the link between security and the digital affairs of individuals and societies.. which is imperative for us,

Creating new concepts of collective security, for these new virtual borders, so that we can protect our global security as a whole, which will be reflected in our local security as countries.”

He added that: “Studying successful models of the digital economy, as a key driver of economic growth and an enabler of sustainable development, enabled us to plan the joint Arab strategic vision for the digital economy. We also discussed the extent of the impact of the strategic vision programs on political, social and economic stability in the Arab region, because of our belief that the political, economic and social stability of the Arab region will bring direct and indirect positive benefits to its peoples and to all countries as a whole.

He also stressed that: “We have no choice today but to move to digital economies to advance our Arab societies and consolidate our natural role in contributing to promoting global economic growth.”

 

 

 

 

 

Digital identity… a new challenge

The digital identity axis was added this year to the other four axes, which are e-commerce, digital payments, retail trade and financial technology. The importance of this axis comes to shed light on the challenge of the existence of one billion people around the world who do not have a legally recognized identity and the inability of half of the population of the earth who have identities to use them through digital channels, which prompted a group of experts and specialists in digital identity affairs to shed light on these topics in a copy This year’s conference

First day

The opening session included an opening speech by His Excellency Ambassador Mohammed Al-Rabee, Secretary-General of the Council of Economic Unity in the League of Arab States, followed by a discussion session and a lecture on the innovation environment presented by Chris Colbert, Executive Director of the Innovation Lab at Harvard University, and then a discussion with Ronaldo Mouchawar, President Executive and co-founder of Souq.com, about the expectations of the form and manifestations of trade in 2030, then a working paper for the Dubai Airport Free Zone entitled “Strategic View on E-Commerce” and the digitization of consumption in the Arab region. The opening session of the conference ended with a dialogue session between representatives of Smart Dubai and MasterCard

While the conference sessions on its first day included a number of working papers related to the digital transformation of government services, digital payments and electronic retail trade, and the promotion of digital identities through blockchain technology, as well as hosting competitions between several startup companies for prizes from Emirati and international companies for investment and support of pioneers. Modern technology projects

A number of Arab ambassadors accredited to the country participated in the opening session. A group of international experts also participated in the main themes of the conference, including Paul Meisner, Amazon Vice President for Innovation Policy, Joao Vasconcelos, Digital Government Policy Expert representing the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Professor Brigitte Andersen, CEO of the Great Innovation Center in the United Kingdom, and John Matonis, CEO For the Bitcoin Foundation, Faraz Khaled, CEO of Noon.com, John Tsewers, CEO of Instashop, and a number of government officials in the country