Sharjah Chamber concludes its participation in the World Chambers Congress in Sydney

Signed an MoU with the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and negotiated relations with various delegations

Sharjah, September 23, 2017:  The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) concluded its participation in the 10th World Chambers Congress (ICC), held in Sydney, Australia, on September 19-21, by signing a memorandum of understanding with the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry. SCCI also held fruitful meetings with a number of international delegations at the congress.

This was SCCI’s fifth participation in a raw in the congress, which put it side by side with the delegations of 12 thousand chambers from over 100 countries around the globe. The congress is a unique international forum for the heads and officials of chambers of commerce around the world to exchange experiences and have open discussions, in order to enhance cooperation among business communities and face common challenges.

SCCI’s delegation to the biennial congress organized by the World Chambers Federation included His Excellency Khaled bin Butti Al Hajri, Director-General of SCCI, Omar Saleh, Director of International Relations, Fatima Khalifa Al Maqrab, Head of International Cooperation Department, Board Member of the International Chamber in the UAE, and Mai Sultan Bin Heda Al Suwaidi, Executive of Economic Cooperation in the Chamber.

Memorandum of Understanding
The MoU, which was signed by the Sharjah Chamber and the Australian-Arab Chamber on the sidelines of the conference, aims to develop business relations between the two business communities and the members of the two chambers, providing incentives, facilities and services to exchange information and data.
The Chamber's delegation also met with the heads and directors of several chambers, unions and representatives of several international organizations, including the International Chamber of Commerce, the World Chambers Federation, the Union of Gulf Chambers, the London Chamber, the Hamburg Chamber, the Kuwait Chamber and many participants from around the world, as well as members of the diplomatic corps and the UAE ambassador to Australia.
Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry also reaffirmed its support to the Dubai Chamber file in hosting the 2021 congress. The Chamber’s delegation participated in the workshop held by Dubai Chamber to promote events and activities of Expo 2020.

The chamber’s participation
His Excellency Khaled bin Butti Al Hajri, Director-General of SCCI, highlighted the chamber’s commitment to participation in such international events, which represent a valuable opportunity to meet head of international chambers, and enhance SCCI’s position on the international stage, which supports the fulfillment of the chamber’s role in supporting its members and deveoping their commercial relations on a global level.
The Chamber's Director General pointed out that holding the conference in Sydney was an opportune occasion to meet with officials of the Australian Chambers of Commerce and discuss ways to enhance commercial exchange between Sharjah and Australia, which is the UAE's number 20 trading partner compared to other countries. The value of trade between the UAE and Australia in 2016 recorded $ 2.8 billion, while mutual investments reached $ 8.9 billion in the same year.

Performance Improvement
For her part, Fatima Khalifa Al Maqrab, Head of International Cooperation Department, Board Member of the International Chamber in the UAE, said that the congress was an opportunity to learn about the global economic developments that concern the chambers of commerce and industry in different countries and regions around the world. The event was also an opportunity to highlight the attractive business environment in Sharjah and its lucrative investment opportunities available in various economic sectors in the emirate.

Supporting the business community
The delegation also participated in all the official sessions of the conference, which discussed topics related to the business sector. Teh sessions were a perfect opportunity to network and learn about best practices of chambers. This was specially fruitful in the sessions of the international chambers competition in the four categories, with outcomes announced at the closing ceremony and revealing Dubai Chamber's award for best unconventional project.

The congress, which brought together world economic thought leaders under one roof, discussed a number of topics of interest to the chambers of commerce, notably business and conflict, temporary lodgers, infrastructure, chambers of commerce and international issues such as sustainability, tourism and diversity in the workplace, as well as access to finance, entrepreneurship, leadership and skills of tomorrow, in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and global mobility. The conference provided an opportunity to address trade and economic issues affecting local communities by sharing ideas and learning about the latest business developments from around the world.