Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State, opened the high-level ministerial seminar organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, UNIDO, and reviewed the role of the industrial sector in ensuring global economic prosperity through its active contribution to achieving UN’s sustainable development goals.

The seminar, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, in New York, and organised in co-operation with the Permanent Missions of the UAE and the Russian Federation to the United Nations and the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit, GMIS, included the participation of government ministers, including Li Yong, Director-General of UNIDO, and Vasily Osmakov, Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, as well as policy makers, leaders of international industrial companies, NGOs and academics.

"We live in a time of great challenges and enormous opportunities. Technology has compressed geographic distances, brought people closer, and enabled incredible progress. Yet the pace of innovation is now so fast, it is pushing our ability to adapt to the limit, causing massive disruptions to how we work, live and communicate. This period of rapid transformation has been called the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

"The UAE has long demonstrated a deep commitment to fostering inclusive and sustainable industrial development at home and across the world. We have diversified and advanced our manufacturing base so that it includes petrochemicals, plastics, metals, machinery and aerospace. In addition, we have invested in sustainable technologies, as well as our oil and gas sectors, making the UAE a global hub for all forms of energy, diversifying both the energy mix within the UAE and globally.

"While we work in close partnership with many countries to adapt to a fast-evolving world, we need a much greater level of collaboration, at all levels, to maximise the benefits of technological progress and ensure people are not left behind in its wake. The Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit can play a critical co-ordinating role in this effort," Dr. Al Jaber said.

Held under the theme ‘Employment of the Techniques of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Delivering the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations,’ the seminar witnessed discussions on actions that governments must take to support the social, economic and environmental benefits of the industrial sector and promote joint global initiatives to achieve international economic prosperity.

"What we are attempting to achieve through GMIS is, indeed, an ambitious undertaking. We seek to maintain a global conversation on shaping the future of technology and manufacturing in the decades to come. The issues arising are complex and their impact may not be apparent for some years yet. But I also sense that we are at the beginning of something truly exciting," Li Yong said.

The Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit brings together key industry experts and stakeholders to identify fundamental challenges in the manufacturing sector and provide transformational ideas and solutions, along with a vision for the future that supports and benefits the private and public sectors, and civil society.

Through its partnership with UNIDO, Abu Dhabi hosted the world’s first Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit in March, which was attended by over 3,000 stakeholders, including heads of state, government leaders, ministers, policy makers and senior executives from Global 2000 companies.