The Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Planning and Economy (DPE), Nasir Ahmed Al-Suwaidi, Monday inaugurated at the Emirates Palace Hotel the 3rd Abu Dhabi Economic Forum, being organised by the DPE in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI) and the “Economy and Business” magazine, reported the official news agency WAM.
In a keynote address, The DPE Chairman, Nasir Ahmed Al-Suwaidi, said the Abu Dhabi Economic Forum has become an international event which has made its mark at the local, regional and international levels by highlighting the economy of Abu Dhabi, which is one of the biggest and most vibrant economies in the region.
He pointed out that this year’s forum is being held under an extraordinary condition following the global financial crisis which has given birth to global economic recession nearly similar to the great depression of the thirties of the last century. He said with its highly flexible economy, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi will deal with the financial crisis through a combination of short and long term plans and within a framework of its commitment to supporting infrastructure, services, social, health and educational projects. “This reflects the significance of this year’s economic forum, which will be highlighting these hot issues, with a focus on Abu Dhabi’s economy and how the latter would deal with those issues. It will also review the emirate’s achievements over the past few years according to various development indicators,” he stated.
He pointed out that Abu Dhabi’s economy, through the various investment opportunities it provides, will continue to play a pivotal role in the region’s financial and commercial activities, just as the emirate will remain a leading hub in the areas of industrial, real estate and infrastructure projects, as well as great source of alternative energy and sustainable development, which would reflect positively on the continuous economic growth this year although not at the same rate as the past years.
Al-Suwaidi praised the Abu Dhabi Government for its vision which has been clearly manifested in its 2030 Economic Vision programme, a comprehensive and dynamic vision which seeks to tackle effectively all forms of future challenges and developments.
He expressed the hope that the current global economic situation would improve in view of the positive responses of governments worldwide and the taking of stringent measures and reforms to curtail the period of the recession. “It is necessary to set aside a portion of this year’s forum to deal with the lessons learnt from this global financial crisis, particularly those related to financial and real estate sectors. We need to learn from the experience of other countries in this regard. This is very important, particular for leading Abu Dhabi companies to learn how to avert such crisis in the future,” he noted.
