UAE Launches New Trade-Sustain-AI Initiative On Sidelines Of 13th Ministerial Conference

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched the Trade-Sustain-AI initiative at the TradeTech Forum on Tuesday, held concurrently with the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Abu Dhabi.

The new initiative aims to harness the growing capabilities of artificial intelligence in supply chains to enhance the role of global trade in addressing climate change. It has found numerous ways to curb the climate change impact, including optimizing shipping routes to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions and improving logistics operations such as inventory management and freight movements.

Furthermore, the initiative will also develop climate-resilient trade infrastructure and forecast extreme weather events while improving traceability and transparency in global supply chains.

Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade and MC13 Chair, said that this new initiative shows the UAE's commitment to developing trade-related tech tools but also rewriting regulatory frameworks that will facilitate their worldwide implementation.

"By embracing technology such as AI, we have the opportunity to redefine the future of trade, making it more efficient, more transparent and more sustainable," he said, as reported by WAM.

"These initiatives are crucial in enabling us to fully leverage the power of AI in global supply chains, with technological development working in parallel to regulatory oversight to ensure broad adoption and interoperability," he added.

The minister explained that the "benefits of advanced technology are shared equally – and that means ensuring the tools are not only available but fully accessible for the benefit of all nations."

Trade-Sustain-AI initiative will involve global organizations, governments, and industry leaders to produce comprehensive reports to explore the convergence of AI, global trade, and sustainability.

Furthermore, it will also help to arrange annual symposiums bringing together prominent AI, sustainability, and trade experts to exchange ideas, knowledge, and experiences.

The initiative will also support developing an international alliance between ministers from key global trading hubs to work with business leaders to provide future-proof regulation for the use of AI in trade.

Last month, Minister of Education Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi explained the importance of artificial intelligence in the education sector, noting that it will keep the system aligned with technological developments and upskill students as per their aspirations.