UAE Participates in the First G-20 Sherpa Meeting

Officials from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation concluded their participation in the first Group of 20 (G-20) Sherpa Meeting held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 7-8 December. During a meeting on 4 November between President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo of Indonesia and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Indonesia had extended an invitation to the UAE to attend the upcoming G-20 Summit as a guest country.

The Sherpa Meeting gathered official representatives of G-20 member countries to discuss Indonesia’s proposed priorities for the G-20 for the upcoming year, as well as the envisioned workplan for G-20 working groups under the Sherpa Track. During the meeting, Indonesia presented on its overall theme – Recover Together, Recover Stronger – as well as its priority issues, covering: Global Health Architecture, Sustainable Energy Transition, and Digital Transformation.

The UAE delegation was led by His Excellency Abdulnasser Alshaali, Assistant Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs and UAE Sous-Sherpa. During the meeting, His Excellency Alshaali conveyed that the UAE would contribute substantively and constructively to the G-20 agenda throughout the upcoming year. His Excellency noted, “The need to strengthen multilateral cooperation has never been more evident than in the unprecedented circumstances we have faced as an international community in recent years. As we continue to champion an inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and collectively explore solutions to major global challenges, the UAE as a guest country is committed to working with its international partners through the G-20 framework to foster economic growth and equitable development around the world. Enhancing economic outcomes in key sectors and ensuring that all communities can live in dignity remain our priorities as we commence our participation in this year’s G-20 process.”

Similar to the process undertaken to support participation in the Saudi 2020 G-20 Presidency, the UAE will convene a cross-government Steering Committee and Technical Committee to coordinate the country’s efforts at the G-20. These efforts will be led by HE Ahmed Al Sayegh, Minister of State and UAE Sherpa, for the Sherpa Track, and HE Younis Alkhoori, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Finance and UAE Finance Deputy, for the Finance Track. It is expected that the UAE will participate in over 150 G-20 meetings in the lead-up to the G-20 Summit in October 2022.

Established in 1999, the G-20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising representatives of the world’s largest economies that works to strengthen international economic cooperation.