UAE Highlights Role as Global Trade Facilitator at G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial in South Africa
GQEBERHA, South Africa, 12th October, 2025 – Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Trade, reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to open, rules-based trade as a key engine for long-term development during the recent G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting (TIMM) in South Africa.
During the forum, Dr. Al Zeyoudi emphasized the UAE’s ongoing advocacy for collaborative solutions to pressing global trade challenges. Among the priorities he discussed were the strengthening and modernization of supply chains, and improvements to the accessibility and equity of the global trading system.
Serving as the principal gathering for G20 members to address critical trade and investment issues, the outcomes of the TIMM will directly inform discussions at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November. The UAE attended as a specially invited guest, with its delegation led by Dr. Al Zeyoudi taking part in sessions addressing the role of industrialization in sustainable development, the principles of trade and inclusive growth, and the ongoing necessity for World Trade Organisation (WTO) reform.
Dr. Al Zeyoudi stressed the importance of aligning outcomes between various international organizations to create a more balanced and equitable trading system. He also highlighted the necessity of addressing developmental priorities within trade policies so that all nations might benefit, while promoting initiatives geared towards sustainable economic growth and resilience.
Quoting Dr. Al Zeyoudi:
“The G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting is a vital forum for identifying the issues impacting global trade and the necessary solutions that can tackle them. It is important for the United Arab Emirates to continue championing policies that ensure supply chains are open and accessible to every nation and maintain trade’s role as driver of long-term development and growth.”
The UAE’s progressive trade agenda received further validation in a new UNCTAD-OECD report on investment, commissioned as part of South Africa’s G20 Presidency. The UAE’s widely recognized Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA) program stood out as a best practice, credited with facilitating trade and investment across priority sectors like clean energy, digital transformation, and public health.
The report particularly noted the UAE’s CEPAs with India, Australia, Türkiye, and New Zealand as standout examples of targeted trade agreements driving international collaboration and sustainable economic growth. Since the CEPA program’s launch in 2021, the UAE has finalized 31 trade agreements spanning diverse economies and stages of development.
Dr. Al Zeyoudi also remarked on the UAE’s active engagement with at least 10 African nations through CEPA negotiations—several of which are now completed—demonstrating the UAE’s pivotal role in reinforcing regional value chains. Additionally, he underlined the UAE’s over US$16.8 billion investment in renewable energy across 70 countries, highlighting a firm commitment to advancing sustainable industrialization and energy access worldwide.
With G20 members representing 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population, this forum is central to shaping the future of global commerce. The UAE’s non-oil trade with G20 members surged to over US$231 billion in the first half of 2025, reflecting a robust 19.2% increase compared to the same period in 2024. By the end of 2024, the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade reached US$816.9 billion, 14.6% above the previous year and nearly five times the global trade growth average.
On the sidelines, Dr. Al Zeyoudi conducted a series of high-level bilateral meetings. He held discussions with WTO Director General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on the state of global trade, and engaged with senior officials such as Yeo Han Koo (Trade Minister, South Korea); Fuji Hisayuki (Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Japan); Koga Yuichiro (Minister of State for Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan); Maroš Šefčovič (EU Trade Commissioner); Maninder Sidhu (Canada’s Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development); HE Budi Santoso (Indonesia’s Minister of Trade); and Helene Budliger (Switzerland’s State Secretary for Trade).
These meetings further reinforced the UAE’s dedication to advancing international partnerships and intensifying cooperation in trade and investment.
Team V.4-EM-UAE
