Dubai: The secretariat-general of the Dubai Economic Council (DEC) on Sunday released its annual report for 2009. The report reflects the achievements of the DEC and its secretariat last year.

The Council organised a number of events and activities last year. The DEC's board meeting held last year discussed many economic and strategic issues, such as the global financial crisis: impacts and response policies, Dubai's 2009 budget, labour market, etc.

Last year the DEC secretariat conducted 47 studies dealing with many econ-omic and legal topics, in addition to competitiveness, the global financial crisis, Dubai's economy indicators, monetary policy, the UAE labour market and banking sector, Dubai's foreign trade, and emiratisation.

Under the slogan "Together, for a sustainable economy of Dubai" the DEC secretariat-general hosted "Dubai Economic Forum 2009" titled "The Global financial crisis: Impacts, Responses Policy, and Future Prospects" on October 27-28, 2009. The forum becomes the annual event that gathers decision-makers in the UAE, representatives of the local business community and experts from international strategic and financial companies, and representatives of regional and international development organisations.

The DEC secretariat participated in more than 13 events held in the UAE and abroad. The secretariat conducted a number of MOUs to enhance strategic collaboration with some government entities in Dubai and elsewhere in the UAE, as well as regional and international organisations.

They include the Dubai Statistics Centre, Ministry of Labour, ICT, WEF, and others.

The Dubai Competitiveness Council (DCC), the operational arm of the Dubai Economic Council, kicked off a strategic partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF). This partnership aimed to enhance the mutual collaboration in data exchange and sharing advice pertaining to the competitiveness indicators of the UAE and Dubai.

The Global Competition Report (GCR 2009-2010) issued by the WEF in September 2009 is the result of this collaboration. The DCC conducted a survey of executive directors of the main sectors in Dubai and the UAE to assess their perspectives and viewpoints about the prospects for these sectors including weaknesses and strengths to increase their performance to cope with the latest developments in the advanced economies.

The ultimate aim of the survey is to enhance the economic decision-making process in order to promote the economic development of the UAE and Dubai.