UAE leads regional push to boost supply chain resilience

Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, chaired a high-level coordination meeting hosted by the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation at its headquarters in Dubai. The meeting brought together senior executives from leading global shipping companies and representatives of maritime associations, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen collective responses to current challenges affecting regional supply chains.

The meeting was attended by Abdulla bin Damithan, Chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, and Dr. Abdullah Busenad, Director General of Dubai Customs, along with a number of senior leaders from the logistics and maritime sectors.

During the meeting, Dr. Al Zeyoudi affirmed that the UAE continues to deliver on its commitment to ensuring the uninterrupted flow of trade and enhancing the resilience of regional supply chains. This is being achieved through close collaboration with partners and intensified efforts to develop innovative and sustainable solutions capable of addressing evolving challenges.

He stated: “The ongoing high-level coordination among all stakeholders in supply chains reflects the UAE’s consistent approach of building partnerships and strengthening regional cooperation to address the challenges facing the region. This is pursued by improving the efficiency, resilience, and responsiveness of regional supply chains, thereby ensuring the continuous flow of goods and products—particularly essential and strategic commodities—while safeguarding the availability of supplies for consumers and manufacturers and mitigating any adverse impact on market activity.

 “We also continue to enhance the efficiency of alternative corridors, expand regional integration, and adopt advanced customs and operational solutions that reinforce the UAE’s competitiveness and its position as a trusted global trade and logistics hub.”

Al Zeyoudi added: “The UAE will continue to play a pivotal role in supporting the stability of regional and international trade through qualitative initiatives and flexible policies that enhance the efficiency and sustainability of supply chains, further consolidating the country’s position as a global platform for trade, business, and investment.”

Ensuring the continuity of trade flows to the UAE

For his part, Abdulla bin Damithan emphasized the importance of sustained coordination and collaboration among all stakeholders, highlighting the efforts undertaken since the previous meeting to address the repercussions of regional challenges and ensure the continued flow of trade into the UAE.

He noted that relevant entities have worked closely to implement a range of strategic initiatives aimed at strengthening supply chain resilience. These include improving the efficiency of alternative corridors such as Fujairah Port and Khorfakkan Port, as well as enhancing regional maritime connectivity to ensure the smooth and uninterrupted movement of shipments with high efficiency.

He added that these achievements were made possible through close cooperation and strong commitment from both public and private sector partners, stressing that the current phase still requires intensified joint efforts in light of ongoing challenges, including rising costs and operational complexities.

Bin Damithan further stated that the meeting serves as an important platform to review initiatives implemented over the past period and to explore opportunities for enhanced collaboration moving forward, with the aim of developing practical and sustainable solutions that support the efficiency and continuity of supply chains.

He reaffirmed that the top priority remains ensuring the uninterrupted flow of essential goods and strengthening the UAE’s position as a reliable regional and global trade and logistics hub.

Facilitating trade flows and enhancing supply chain efficiency

Dr. Abdullah Busenad, Director General of Dubai Customs, reviewed key customs initiatives implemented to support the seamless movement of trade and enhance operational efficiency, reaffirming Dubai Customs’ commitment to developing proactive and innovative solutions in collaboration with partners.

He said: “Over the past period, we have successfully implemented a number of impactful initiatives that have facilitated the movement of goods and enhanced supply chain efficiency. These include the issuance of Customs Notice No. (6), which enables the transit of goods via the Green Corridor with the Sultanate of Oman, as well as the acceptance of undertaking letters as a valid form of guarantee. We have also organized a series of workshops with traders to explain the Green Corridor mechanisms and address their inquiries.”

He added: “We are currently implementing several pilot projects, including the activation of the Advance Cargo Information (ACI) system through shipping companies for all Green Corridor shipments, as well as the launch of a new maritime feeder route linking the region with India, further enhancing trade connectivity.”

He also noted that a number of initiatives are underway, most notably extending the grace period for re-export goods, developing a framework to enable more land transport companies to join guaranteed corridors, expanding the scope of the Green Corridor to include the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and providing multiple clearance options within this corridor.

He emphasized that these efforts are part of an integrated vision aimed at enhancing the resilience and sustainability of supply chains, while reinforcing the UAE’s status as a highly efficient and well-prepared global trade and logistics hub.

The meeting also reviewed key developments since the previous session, including improvements in handling critical shipments, activation of alternative transport corridors, and greater utilization of multimodal transport solutions—such as road and rail—alongside the development of operational solutions to address capacity constraints and cost-related challenges.