- The forum’s 6 multi-faceted pillars to empower participating countries maximise their opportunities and expand economic partnerships
EXPO 2020 Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 22 February 2022: The stage has been set for the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM 2022) to be held at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, EXPO 2020 Dubai, on March 29 – 31, 2022. Happening along with the much-acclaimed Expo 2020 Dubai, AIM 2022 could boast additional sheen while bidding a grand exit for the international mega event.
An initiative of the UAE Ministry of Economy, the 3-day event brings together investors, venture capitalists, private & financial institutions, economic experts, and governments under one roof. Held under the theme ‘Investments in Sustainable Innovation for a Thriving Future’, AIM 2022 will focus on a wide array of issues that boost the global economic growth, including endorsing and boosting investments towards sustainability and innovation through several key activities.
“We’re excited to organize The Annual Investment Meeting (AIM 2022), which is designed to open up new horizons of economic partnerships all over the world. This year, the strategic platform will serve as a framework for global exchange on the key principles underpinning international investment policies and outline the strategies and practices for sustainable development to achieve smart and inclusive global growth. Moreover, AIM 2022 aims to highlight excellence in community management, provide insightful discussions on investments, and bring to focus the positive implications of technology to facilitate multi-stakeholder interaction and impact,” said Mr. Dawood Al Shezawi, President of the Annual Investment Meeting Organizing Committee.
Among its 6 multi-faceted pillars, AIM 2022 will touch on a wide diversity of topics, including Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Small & Medium Enterprises, Start-ups, Future Cities, Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) and the 50 Projects initiative. The pillars are aimed at helping participating countries to maximize their opportunities through several segments.
The Startup Pillar will help investors nurture early-stage venture capital or seed funding to start a business. This pillar will provide much-needed help to the keen investors looking for new avenues and projects for investments in sustainable and innovative development, as well as the governments looking for startup projects to increase their countries’ economic growth. The Startup Pillar will deliver several pre-conference workshops on customer discovery and zero risk start-up to help start-ups learn from best practices. The Start-up Pillar will host several panel discussions and debates with global leaders around the world aiming to promote sustainable investments, outline methodologies to nurture start-up ecosystem, as well as focus on accelerators vs incubators.
The SME Pillar will focus on assisting SMEs to find new prospects and new sources of financing solutions and will also hold pre-conference workshops, and SME Pillar days that will focus on SME Lending market, building SME Resilience and more.
The Future Cities Pillar will enable governments and investors to foster innovation that will replace traditional services. This pillar will provide great value to investors, public and private sectors as well as countries. This pillar’s pre-conference workshops will focus on creating a secure environment that gives real value and benefits to all participating providers of such smart city services as Emerging Tech, AI, Sensors, IoT, Cyber Security, Blockchain, Machine Learning, Cloud Transportation, Electric Vehicles, Public Transit, Public Bike-sharing, Rapid Rail Networks, 5G, Utilities, Energy, Solar Power, Smart Lighting, Water / Waste Management, Smart Mobility, and many more.
The Future Cities Pillar will also highlight insightful discussions on Blockchain-Backed Public Administration, Integrated Mobility Platforms and more.
Offering investors a platform to diversify their portfolio and help to connect with local business organizations by attracting investments, AIM’s FDI and FPI Pillar will help investors to learn and discover more about promising investment opportunities in different countries and regions across the globe. The pre-conference workshops will focus on “Integrating Innovative Approaches in Investment Promotion and Accelerating FDI in Uncertain Times”. The FDI and FPI Pillar Days will bring to light the Investment Report Launch by KPMG, Investments that Promote Innovation and Sustainability, and more.
Lastly, the Fifty Projects Initiative Pillar focuses on supporting the UAE’s ‘Projects of the 50’ initiative that covers several key sectors including economy, entrepreneurship, advanced skills, digital economy, space and advanced technologies. This pillar will showcase discussions on ‘Making the UAE Gateway for Global Trade and Investment’, ‘Creating Upskilling Programmes for Female Talent’, among others. The 50 projects represent a series of long-term development and economic initiatives designed to accelerate the UAE’s development and establish it as a hub for talent and investment.
On the question of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting FDI inflows across the globe, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development figures indicate a positive trend. The Global FDIs strongly rebounded in 2021, up 77%, to around USD 1.65 trillion, compared to USD 929 billion in 2020, which is higher than the pre-pandemic level.
AIM 2022 will see the participation of distinguished dignitaries including heads of state, key policymakers, institutional and non-institutional investors, and heads of international institutions.
