His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum Chairs Sixth Council Meeting 

Dubai-UAE: 6 June, 2017:  In his capacity as Chairman of the Dubai Free Zones (DFZ) Council, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Group, presided over the sixth council meeting, held at the Executive Council Office in the Emirates Office Tower. The meeting approved proposals for DFZ Council to join the Taqdeer Award and support the Dubai leadership’s 10X Initiative.
The session kicked off with a brief about the Taqdeer Award that recognizes companies for their progressive labor policies and seeks to inspire them to improve their labor practices. Launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, the award seeks to position the UAE among the world’s top business-friendly and worker-friendly countries. Council members agreed to participate in the award, as its message aligns with the free zones’ drive to foster a culture of employee happiness within their communities.

As the next step, a representative of the Economic Statistics Department at the Dubai Statistics Center updated the council on the progress of the database that the center is collating in partnership with the free zones. The presentation included a demonstration of phase one that comprises open data accessible to authorized personnel of all free zones in Dubai. The members unanimously agreed to step up the efficiency of their collaboration in providing the Dubai Statistics Center with the information required.

Furthermore, a top executive from the World Free Zones Organization (World FZO) presented an overview of the organization and its relationship with its members, as well as its offerings in terms of knowledge, networking, and technical support. Launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the non-profit organization, registered in Switzerland and headquartered in Dubai, currently has 300 members from 72 countries. Attendees agreed the council should become a member of the World FZO and leverage the synergy in domains of shared interest.

As part of the agenda, participants decided to cooperate with the Department of Economic Development to resolve any problems related to consumer rights, similarities in trademarked names, and intellectual property rights.

Members of the council also emphasized the need to join the 10X initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on the side-lines of the World Government Summit 2017. The initiative aims to transform Dubai into the global capital of innovation through positioning it 10 years ahead of other cities worldwide. The move involves the adoption of pioneering work mechanisms that will contribute to sustaining Dubai’s competitiveness and shaping its future.

The Dubai Free Zones Council was established in April 2015 through Law No. 13 of 2015, issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The core objectives of the council include developing Dubai’s free zones and empowering them to attract investments, as well as establishing an enabling environment for the growth of industry, commerce, tourism, and the service sector.