Post on 01-Mar-2022
Newsletter: April 2020
A Note from the President:
Dear colleagues,
On behalf of the entire U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council team and our leadership on the Board of Directors, I
hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy in these most difficult and extraordinary of times.
Our most sincere thanks go out to all those health care workers, first responders, and employees in other
critical industries who have battled to respond to the current crisis. As well, we extend our best wishes to
those who have personally been impacted by the global coronavirus pandemic.
In keeping with our shared responsibility to help mitigate the outbreak, the Business Council has adopted
the best practices and recommendations of relevant authorities regarding social distancing. As such, we
have postponed all scheduled events and enacted a work-from-home policy.
That said, the Business Council remains active and dedicated to providing value to its members.
The Business Council has been involved in coordinating various U.S. and U.A.E. government citizen
repatriation efforts and continues to provide regular updates on health and travel alerts. This information
can be found on our website here.
We are also working closely with U.S. and U.A.E. government authorities to highlight various aspects and
opportunities of the economic stimulus packages being developed and enacted in both countries.
Updates on the U.S. and U.A.E. stimulus packages can be found on our website here.
In addition, we have been working with the team at Expo 2020 and the U.S. Pavilion and will provide
updates regarding delays. Our Expo 2020 updates can be found here.
Currently, the Business Council is organizing a series of important teleconferences featuring U.S. and
U.A.E. officials. These calls are designed to provide members with important updates on the current
situation and create a platform for recommendations and suggestions on meeting challenges in specific
verticals.
As always, the Council also remains committed to working with its members on an individual basis to
make connections, share market intelligence, and help unlock business opportunities. Please let us know
should you wish to schedule a phone call to discuss how we can best serve you in this regard.
In the coming months, the Council plans to release updates to some of its most important informational
products, such as its guide to doing business in the U.A.E.; update its website to reflect emerging sectors
in the bilateral relationship; and introduce a series of new sectoral studies. Of course, the Council also
remains committed to keeping its members updated with the latest news on a myriad of topics
through our daily media digests and periodic special updates.
As we all look forward to a time when business resumes as normal, we would like to take a moment to
review some highlights from the year to date as a way of demonstrating what can be done in a couple of
short months and to provide a preview of future programming.
In January, the Business Council kicked off the new year with a luncheon held in Washington, D.C. that
allowed member companies to engage with the Under Secretary for Services at the U.S. Department of
Commerce, James Sullivan, and his team, on issues of data privacy and localization ahead of his trip to
the Middle East.
Later in the month, the Business Council celebrated the longstanding U.S.-U.A.E. partnership in peaceful
nuclear energy by joining with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) to host a visiting delegation from
Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC). At a luncheon held January 16th, private and public sector
officials commemorated the 10th anniversary of the landmark 2009 U.S.-U.A.E. Agreement for Peaceful
Nuclear Cooperation with ENEC's CEO, Mohamed Al Hammadi.
As part of its commitment to promoting dialogue between U.A.E. Consulate Generals and businesses in
major U.S. cities, on January 15th, the Business Council hosted a roundtable luncheon at the New York
City offices of The Carlyle Group in honor of U.A.E. Consul General in New York Abdalla Shaheen. In similar
fashion, the Business Council hosted a luncheon for the Los Angeles business community on January
23rd in honor of His Excellency Hazzaa Alkaabi, Consul General of the U.A.E. in Los Angeles.
Soon after, the Business Council participated in Consul General Shaheen's visit to the Capital Region of
New York, which built on the success of last October's week-long delegation to the U.A.E. The Business
Council also accompanied Consul General Shaheen to the Port of Wilmington in Delaware, another U.S.
city that has benefited from strong U.S.-U.A.E. commercial ties via hundreds of millions of dollars of
investment by Gulftainer.
January also marked the 45th edition of Arab Health, a key event for U.S. and U.A.E. healthcare providers.
This year, the Business Council hosted a series of three roundtable discussions on the sidelines of the
Dubai conference to highlight developments in the Abu Dhabi healthcare ecosystem and provide
executives from leading U.S. healthcare companies with an overview of new opportunities for partnership.
The distinguished panels featured leadership from Zayed Military Hospital, Mubadala Healthcare, Malaffi,
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and Department of Health-Abu Dhabi.
To round out a busy month, the Business Council hosted a luncheon in Abu Dhabi in honor of His
Excellency Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, U.A.E. Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During this
luncheon, His Excellency discussed national and Emirate-level economic development strategies and
diversification with corporate representatives from U.S. members of the Council's Board of Directors.
In February, the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council turned to the agriculture and food industry to lead ten
innovative U.S. companies on a five-day Department of Commerce-certified food security trade mission to
Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The mission, held in partnership with the U.A.E. Embassy’s Trade and Commercial
Office in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai, and the
Office of the U.A.E. Minister of State for Food Security, provided delegates with a better understanding of
the U.A.E.'s food security goals. The mission also created a platform for discussion of U.S.-U.A.E.
collaboration in providing the world with a consistent supply of nutritious food produced through
sustainable means.
Also, in February, the Council hosted Ambassador John Rakolta Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E., for a
luncheon in Washington, D.C. U.S. and U.A.E. member companies, as well as select think tank leaders,
discussed key developments in the U.S.-U.A.E. bilateral relationship with the Ambassador.
Beyond these events and trade mission, the Business Council continues to facilitate U.S. participation at
Expo 2020 Dubai. Early last month, the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council worked with AmCham Dubai and
AmCham Abu Dhabi to support the U.S. State Department's Abu Dhabi and Dubai events unrolling plans
and partners for the U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2020. The Council looks forward to continued work with
members and partners to prepare for the global showcase.
As the Council has worked hard to provide value to its existing members through the above activities, we
have also been pleased to welcome several new members into the Business Council family. AirMed,
American Express, BAE Systems, Boloro, Ford, HerdX, Marriott International, Microsoft, and Paramount
Group have all joined the Council as an expression of their commitment to the bilateral relationship.
In the coming months, the Business Council looks forward to strengthening the U.S.-U.A.E. bilateral trade
and investment relationship through a variety of meaningful engagement opportunities.
The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council and the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors would like to
express our continued gratitude to all of our member companies for your support, without which none of
our efforts and programming would be possible. Moreover, we would like to encourage you to provide
feedback about how we can continue to provide value to you and your company.
With gratitude,
Danny
Danny E. Sebright
President
Recent Events
State Department Reveals Plans-Partners for
U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2020
Abu Dhabi and Dubai: March 9, 2020
The U.S. Department of State partnered with
AmCham Dubai, AmCham Abu Dhabi, and the
U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council to reveal to
American companies plans for content and
opportunities for partnership at the U.S. Pavilion
at Expo 2020.
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U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Hosts Luncheon in
Washington, D.C. with U.S. Ambassador to the
U.A.E. John Rakolta
Washington, D.C.: February 24, 2020
The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a
luncheon on February 24th in Washington, D.C.
with U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab
Emirates John Rakolta, Jr. at the offices of Akin
Gump, a leading global American law firm and
member of the Business Council.
U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Brings Innovative
American Agtech to U.A.E.
Abu Dhabi and Dubai: 16-20 February, 2020
The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, in partnership
with the U.A.E. Embassy in Washington D.C. and
U.A.E. Minister of State for Food Security led ten
innovative U.S. companies on a successful five-
day U.S.-Department of Commerce-certified food
security trade mission to Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
U.A.E. Consul General Visits Port of Wilmington
in Delaware
Wilmington: February 5, 2020
The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council joined the
Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in
New York, His Excellency Abdalla Shaheen, in a
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visit to Delaware this week on Monday 3 February
to further strengthen bilateral ties with political
and business leaders in a state that has been
transformed by hundreds of millions of dollars in
U.A.E. investment at the Port of Wilmington.
U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Hosts Luncheon In
Honor Of His Excellency Ahmed Al Sayegh
Abu Dhabi: January 30, 2020
The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a
luncheon on January 30th in Abu Dhabi with
corporate representatives from its U.S. Board of
Directors in honor of His Excellency Ahmed Ali Al
Sayegh, U.A.E. Minister of State at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
U.A.E. Consul General Receives Warm Welcome
from New York General Assembly Leadership
Albany: January 30, 2019
The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council joined the
Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in
New York, His Excellency Consul General Abdalla
Shaheen, in a visit to upstate New York this week
to further strengthen ties with political and
business leaders in the New York State Capital
Region.
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U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Hosts a Series of
Events at Arab Health 2020 in Dubai
Dubai: January 28, 2020
The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a series
of three roundtable discussions on Tuesday
January 28th 2020 in Dubai with His Excellency
Mohamed Al Hameli and other senior Emirati
officials from the Department of Health – Abu
Dhabi, Mubadala Healthcare, Malaffi, Cleveland
Clinic Abu Dhabi and Zayed Military Hospital.
U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Hosts Luncheon in
Los Angeles in Honor of U.A.E. Consul General
Hazza Alkaabi
Los Angeles: January 24, 2020
The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a
business roundtable luncheon discussion on
January 23rd 2020 in honor of U.A.E. Consul
General in Los Angeles His Excellency Hazza
Alkaabi at the Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills.
U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council and Nuclear
Energy Institute Host Industry Luncheon in
Washington, D.C.
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Washington, D.C.: January 16, 2020
The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council and Nuclear
Energy Institute hosted a luncheon on Thursday
January 16th in Washington, D.C. in honor of a
visiting delegation from Emirates Nuclear Energy
Corporation led by its CEO, Mohamed Al
Hammadi.
U.S-U.A.E. Business Council Hosts Luncheon in
New York City in Honor of U.A.E. Consul General
Abdalla Shaheen
New York: January 15, 2020
The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a
business roundtable luncheon on January 15th
2020 in honor of U.A.E. Consul General in New
York, His Excellency Abdalla Shaheen at the New
York offices of The Carlyle Group, a leading global
investment firm.
Senior U.S. Department of Commerce Official
Engages U.S. Industry about Data Privacy and
Localization in the U.A.E. and Egypt
Washington D.C.: January 9, 2020
The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, with support
from the AmCham Abu Dhabi, AmCham Dubai,
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and U.S.-Egypt Business Council, hosted a
roundtable luncheon discussion today in
Washington, D.C. with the U.S. Department of
Commerce’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Services James M. Sullivan and his team.
The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council provides its diverse membership unparalleled access tosenior decision makers in business and government in the U.A.E. and in the U.S. TheBusiness Council actively works to ensure that the U.S. and U.A.E. remain attractivedestinations for foreign direct investment by conducting effective policy advocacy,undertaking various trade promotion initiatives, providing ongoing updates on thebusiness climate in both countries, and helping develop strategic relationships betweenU.S. and U.A.E. business and government officials.
New Members
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