ID :
42656
Mon, 01/26/2009 - 12:00
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https://oananews.org//node/42656
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Dubai Chamber emerges biggest issuer of Certificates of Origin in the world
Dubai, Jan 26, 2009 (WAM) - Amid the global financial crunch Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry notched up a 42% rise in export and re-export figures. The total value of goods exported and re-exported from Dubai rose to AED 240 billion in 2008, while the Chamber witnessed a 14% increase in membership and an 11% rise in values of Certificates of Origin issued to the exporters which makes it the world's top-most chamber issuing the largest number of COs according to the World Chambers Federation (WCC).
The annual tally for membership in the year 2008 is higher than the previous year when the numbers stood at 108,573 but went on to increase to 121,175 at the end of the year while the number of Certificates of Origin reached the 624,066 mark from its 2007 tally of 559,652 which is a big jump in view of the present financial scenario.
"These figures also represent the Dubai business community's resolve to face the onslaught of the global financial crisis and show optimism and the determination to work towards economic development of the emirate," said HE Eng Hamad Buamim, Dubai Chamber Director General adding, "In the present scenario, the Chamber has played its pivotal role of a business facilitator providing the best services and facilities to its members and stakeholders." He added, "The 2008 figures directly reflect on the magnitude of Dubai Chamber efforts in supporting the growth of business in the Emirate and the promotion of Dubai as a global trading hub. In order to represent, support and protect the interests of the business community, Dubai Chamber did its best in creating a business-friendly environment by organizing various B2B networking events while enhancing the competitiveness of Dubai businesses in the global markets." Dubai Chamber's long-term mission of providing the best services to its members and supporting the business groups and councils in all their endeavours saw the august business facilitator approving the establishment of three new business councils including the Bulgarian, Austrian and Japanese Business Councils as well as new business groups like Dubai Computer Traders Group and the Foreign Exchange and Remittances Group and hosted a number of business breakfasts and networking lunch for its 21 business groups, 34 business councils and 78 trade centre representatives while the Chamber signed 10 MoUs and Strategic Partnerships with international and local bodies including Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, Tejari, Coface Emirates and others. Based on the consultations with its business groups, the Chamber also prepared a report on the effects of the financial crisis on the different economical sectors in Dubai.
The business advocacy team in the Chamber works hand in hand with technical legal committees from legal advisors, lawyers and professors, and with Dubai Chamber's Business Groups, in studying new legislations with the object of conveying private sector's views and suggestions to the pertinent authorities.
Dubai Chamber also signed two strategic partnership agreements with UNICEF and Emirates Green Building last year as the august business facilitator was appointed to International Chambers of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Business in Society.
Dubai Chamber hosted 201 trade delegations in 2008 led by President of the Philippines, Prime Minister of Czech Republic, Mayors of the Cities of Houston and Lyon, ministers, ambassadors and commercial consuls from its trading partner countries. The Chamber, along with its members from different economic sectors, also participated and hosted over 51 workshops, economic forums and trade fairs locally and abroad.
On his part, the Director General represented Dubai Chamber at various international events including the first World Business Summit organized by International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Stockholm, Sweden, in June and other ICC event, the World Chambers Federation Steering Committee's WATAC meeting held in Beijing, China, in November where they declared Dubai Chamber to be the largest issuer of COs. He also paid a courtesy visit to the Chamber of Commerce '&' Industry Western Australia (CCIWA) in August to introduce Dubai Chamber services available for the international business community and went on a business trip to Saudi Arabia.
The flagship event for Dubai Chamber in the year was the 2nd session of the Dubai Hamburg Business Forum held in Hamburg, Germany, in December where 230 delegates including 60 from Dubai's business and prominent economic sectors like banking and finance, logistics and foreign trade, energy, healthcare and media and IT attended and made a big success of the follow-up session with their German counterparts. Another major event for Dubai Chamber was the celebration of its first anniversary of ‘Making it Our Business', a workplace breast cancer awareness raising initiative as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, which was attended by HE Reem Al Hashimi, UAE Minister of State and 11 participating corporate companies.
In association with Vital Voices Global Partnership and the US Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research, the Chamber organized two major cause marketing workshops for the participating companies plus four for its staff members to train them as trainees. These trainees are now making the difference in society by educating their colleagues as well as family members and friends about the dreaded disease.
For the second year running, Dubai Chamber welcomed global CEOs as it once again supported the World CEO Forum 2008 which was held in April and provided an opportunity for the Chamber's members to meet, network and connect with global business leaders as was seen at the Big 5 exhibition for construction and building material as well as the Russian road show in Dubai.
Dubai Chamber was crowned with the Dubai Government Excellence Programme 2008 award for Best Administrative Project that was bagged by its Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum business award initiative, while on its part, the Chamber presented the most prestigious MRM Business Awards held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to 17 winners from a cross-section of organisations and business establishments for their outstanding performance and unflinching contribution to the development of the UAE national economy, the overall business atmosphere and the society at large. The fourth cycle of the MRM award conducted 10 workshops for participants and has two new categories of Logistics and Supply Chain and MRM CSR awards. The MRM awards ceremony will be held in the early part of 2009.
HE Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair, 1st Vice Chairman of Dubai Chamber replaced HE Obaid Humaid Al Tayer as Chairman at the Board of Directors election meeting held in March. Majed Hamad R. Al Shamsi was voted the 1st Vice Chairman and Hisham Abdullah Al Shirawi the 2nd Vice Chairman.
Dubai Chamber's Centre for Responsible Business organised 15 CSR workshops and seminars and also launched "ENGAGE Dubai" in association with Business in the Community (BITC), UK, which is one of the most exciting Employee Volunteering Programs, for the first time in the region. Through ENGAGE Dubai a large number of interested companies get a platform for launching their employee volunteering efforts that companies can use to develop volunteer programmes. The CSR workshops proved that the trend of adopting socially responsible projects was growing fast with Dubai-based corporate houses and companies.
Research conducted by the CRB also found that there are industry specific issues regarding CSR that are setting the agenda and direction for Dubai businesses for the future. A number of studies including Sustainable Tourism Report, CSR and SMEs, Green supply chain management in Dubai, Food Prices in Dubai, the relationship between commodity prices and the dollar and euro, logistics, energy finance and many more were released by the Data Research and Business Development department, 45 projects in all including studies, reports and surveys as the department published 12 issues of the Economic Bulletin.
The Legal Services Department organized seven major seminars and workshops on trademarks, consumer protection, alternate dispute resolution and letters of credit and handled 408 mediation cases in 2008 while the number of cases received by Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) last year was 100 summing up to Dh 13.7 billion transactions in comparison to the 77 cases of 2007 as the Centre appointed 35 arbitrators from different countries of the world to resolve these disputes.
The Chamber also released the bilingual Industrial Directory that contains a listing of over 2,150 companies with 1,950 from the industrial sector and 200 from the services sector while the Commercial and establishment Directory for 2008-2009 with its 2,000 pages enlists over 73,000 companies operating in Dubai and its free zones with their full contact details and areas of operations. In association with the Oxford Business Group, Dubai Chamber also released ‘The Report - Dubai 2008' which is a comprehensive guide for foreign direct investment in the emirate.
The annual tally for membership in the year 2008 is higher than the previous year when the numbers stood at 108,573 but went on to increase to 121,175 at the end of the year while the number of Certificates of Origin reached the 624,066 mark from its 2007 tally of 559,652 which is a big jump in view of the present financial scenario.
"These figures also represent the Dubai business community's resolve to face the onslaught of the global financial crisis and show optimism and the determination to work towards economic development of the emirate," said HE Eng Hamad Buamim, Dubai Chamber Director General adding, "In the present scenario, the Chamber has played its pivotal role of a business facilitator providing the best services and facilities to its members and stakeholders." He added, "The 2008 figures directly reflect on the magnitude of Dubai Chamber efforts in supporting the growth of business in the Emirate and the promotion of Dubai as a global trading hub. In order to represent, support and protect the interests of the business community, Dubai Chamber did its best in creating a business-friendly environment by organizing various B2B networking events while enhancing the competitiveness of Dubai businesses in the global markets." Dubai Chamber's long-term mission of providing the best services to its members and supporting the business groups and councils in all their endeavours saw the august business facilitator approving the establishment of three new business councils including the Bulgarian, Austrian and Japanese Business Councils as well as new business groups like Dubai Computer Traders Group and the Foreign Exchange and Remittances Group and hosted a number of business breakfasts and networking lunch for its 21 business groups, 34 business councils and 78 trade centre representatives while the Chamber signed 10 MoUs and Strategic Partnerships with international and local bodies including Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, Tejari, Coface Emirates and others. Based on the consultations with its business groups, the Chamber also prepared a report on the effects of the financial crisis on the different economical sectors in Dubai.
The business advocacy team in the Chamber works hand in hand with technical legal committees from legal advisors, lawyers and professors, and with Dubai Chamber's Business Groups, in studying new legislations with the object of conveying private sector's views and suggestions to the pertinent authorities.
Dubai Chamber also signed two strategic partnership agreements with UNICEF and Emirates Green Building last year as the august business facilitator was appointed to International Chambers of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Business in Society.
Dubai Chamber hosted 201 trade delegations in 2008 led by President of the Philippines, Prime Minister of Czech Republic, Mayors of the Cities of Houston and Lyon, ministers, ambassadors and commercial consuls from its trading partner countries. The Chamber, along with its members from different economic sectors, also participated and hosted over 51 workshops, economic forums and trade fairs locally and abroad.
On his part, the Director General represented Dubai Chamber at various international events including the first World Business Summit organized by International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Stockholm, Sweden, in June and other ICC event, the World Chambers Federation Steering Committee's WATAC meeting held in Beijing, China, in November where they declared Dubai Chamber to be the largest issuer of COs. He also paid a courtesy visit to the Chamber of Commerce '&' Industry Western Australia (CCIWA) in August to introduce Dubai Chamber services available for the international business community and went on a business trip to Saudi Arabia.
The flagship event for Dubai Chamber in the year was the 2nd session of the Dubai Hamburg Business Forum held in Hamburg, Germany, in December where 230 delegates including 60 from Dubai's business and prominent economic sectors like banking and finance, logistics and foreign trade, energy, healthcare and media and IT attended and made a big success of the follow-up session with their German counterparts. Another major event for Dubai Chamber was the celebration of its first anniversary of ‘Making it Our Business', a workplace breast cancer awareness raising initiative as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, which was attended by HE Reem Al Hashimi, UAE Minister of State and 11 participating corporate companies.
In association with Vital Voices Global Partnership and the US Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research, the Chamber organized two major cause marketing workshops for the participating companies plus four for its staff members to train them as trainees. These trainees are now making the difference in society by educating their colleagues as well as family members and friends about the dreaded disease.
For the second year running, Dubai Chamber welcomed global CEOs as it once again supported the World CEO Forum 2008 which was held in April and provided an opportunity for the Chamber's members to meet, network and connect with global business leaders as was seen at the Big 5 exhibition for construction and building material as well as the Russian road show in Dubai.
Dubai Chamber was crowned with the Dubai Government Excellence Programme 2008 award for Best Administrative Project that was bagged by its Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum business award initiative, while on its part, the Chamber presented the most prestigious MRM Business Awards held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to 17 winners from a cross-section of organisations and business establishments for their outstanding performance and unflinching contribution to the development of the UAE national economy, the overall business atmosphere and the society at large. The fourth cycle of the MRM award conducted 10 workshops for participants and has two new categories of Logistics and Supply Chain and MRM CSR awards. The MRM awards ceremony will be held in the early part of 2009.
HE Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair, 1st Vice Chairman of Dubai Chamber replaced HE Obaid Humaid Al Tayer as Chairman at the Board of Directors election meeting held in March. Majed Hamad R. Al Shamsi was voted the 1st Vice Chairman and Hisham Abdullah Al Shirawi the 2nd Vice Chairman.
Dubai Chamber's Centre for Responsible Business organised 15 CSR workshops and seminars and also launched "ENGAGE Dubai" in association with Business in the Community (BITC), UK, which is one of the most exciting Employee Volunteering Programs, for the first time in the region. Through ENGAGE Dubai a large number of interested companies get a platform for launching their employee volunteering efforts that companies can use to develop volunteer programmes. The CSR workshops proved that the trend of adopting socially responsible projects was growing fast with Dubai-based corporate houses and companies.
Research conducted by the CRB also found that there are industry specific issues regarding CSR that are setting the agenda and direction for Dubai businesses for the future. A number of studies including Sustainable Tourism Report, CSR and SMEs, Green supply chain management in Dubai, Food Prices in Dubai, the relationship between commodity prices and the dollar and euro, logistics, energy finance and many more were released by the Data Research and Business Development department, 45 projects in all including studies, reports and surveys as the department published 12 issues of the Economic Bulletin.
The Legal Services Department organized seven major seminars and workshops on trademarks, consumer protection, alternate dispute resolution and letters of credit and handled 408 mediation cases in 2008 while the number of cases received by Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) last year was 100 summing up to Dh 13.7 billion transactions in comparison to the 77 cases of 2007 as the Centre appointed 35 arbitrators from different countries of the world to resolve these disputes.
The Chamber also released the bilingual Industrial Directory that contains a listing of over 2,150 companies with 1,950 from the industrial sector and 200 from the services sector while the Commercial and establishment Directory for 2008-2009 with its 2,000 pages enlists over 73,000 companies operating in Dubai and its free zones with their full contact details and areas of operations. In association with the Oxford Business Group, Dubai Chamber also released ‘The Report - Dubai 2008' which is a comprehensive guide for foreign direct investment in the emirate.
