The UAE has launched ‘Trade-Sustain-AI’ initiative, designed to combine the transformative power of technology with the sustainability and inclusivity of global trade during the TradeTech Forum.

The ‘Trade-Sustain-AI’ initiative seeks to leverage the rapidly advancing power of artificial intelligence in supply chains to boost the contribution of global trade to the battle against climate change.

It has identified a number of ways it can make an immediate impact, including optimizing shipping routes to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions, improving logistics operations such as inventory management and freight movements, developing climate-resilient trade infrastructure and forecasting extreme weather events, and improving traceability and transparency in global supply chains, ensuring visibility into the sustainability of traded goods.

The ‘Trade-Sustain-AI’ initiative will work with international organizations, governments and industry leaders to (among other things): produce comprehensive reports to explore the convergence of AI, global trade and sustainability, arrange annual symposiums bringing together prominent AI, sustainability and trade experts to exchange ideas, knowledge and experiences, develop a global research network on trade, climate and AI issues, and develop an international alliance between ministers from key global trading hubs that will work with leading CEOs to propose future-proof regulation for the use of AI in trade.

Based in the UAE, the program has already confirmed several major partners, including ADIA Lab, Core42, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and Maqta Gateway, AD Ports Group’s digital arm. Additional partners are set to be included into the initiative over time.

Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade and MC13 Chair, said that the announcements underline the UAE’s commitment to not only championing the development of TradeTech tools but the overarching regulatory frameworks that will enable their global deployment.

The UAE is becoming a prominent champion of the use of technology in trade. In January 2023, in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF), the UAE launched the TradeTech Global Initiative to promote the widespread adoption of emerging technologies in the global supply chain. The inaugural TradeTech Forum, one of the initiative’s core elements, is taking place in parallel to the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13).