Second session of UAE-Colombia Joint Committee Convenes in Dubai

The United Arab Emirates hosted the second session of the UAE-Colombia Joint Committee in Expo City Dubai, on the sidelines of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).
The Committee was co-chaired by Her Excellency Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, and His Excellency Álvaro Leyva Durán, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia.
Senior diplomats and government officials from both sides participated in the Joint Committee meeting, which discussed several sectors and areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment, energy, agriculture, food security, health, culture, science, education, and transportation.
HE Al Hashimy reaffirmed the importance of the Joint Committee in enhancing cooperation between the two countries, with the UAE particularly focused on trade, and emphasized the significance of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Colombia, with terms recently concluded on the first such bilateral trade deal between the UAE and South America. The two countries are anticipating a new era of collaboration that will achieve  growth for both nations.
In her opening statement, Her Excellency commended the substantial growth in non-oil trade between the UAE and Colombia which exceeded USD 385 million in 2022, and investment and trade relations in a number of key sectors, including energy, climate change, agriculture and food security. The UAE is now looking forward to developing and exploring further opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.
For his part, HE Durán emphasized Colombia’s keenness to further reinforce bilateral ties and promote cooperation with the UAE across various fields.
At the conclusion of the meeting, HE Al Hashimy and HE Durán, signed the minutes of the second session of the Joint Committee. Both sides expressed their appreciation for the efforts undertaken in organizing the Committee meeting, and highlighted the importance of continuous engagement and constructive dialogue between the two sides.