Arab Chamber: Special program to celebrate 70th anniversary

(MENAFN- Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA))

São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) has developed a special program focused on new forms of connection and new technologies in the year it celebrates its 70th anniversary. The highlight of the 2022 program will be the Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries to take place on July 4 at the Hotel Renaissance in São Paulo. The hybrid event takes place every two years and is a great opportunity for business and networking interactions, as it brings together business people and officials from the Arab countries and Brazil. Over 400 people are expected in the in-person event and 2,600 in the virtual environment, livestreamed to all Arab countries.

The first event of the year runs from February 13 to 17 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Gulfood is the largest food trade show in the Middle East and North Africa, and one of the world's largest, and the ABCC will take eight companies and have two pavilions, one at the central hall as usual and one in the new protein area, New Business director Daniella Leite said.“We're very happy; this is our first year with two booths,” she said.

Silvana Gomes

Apas Show , the largest supermarket trade show in Latin America, runs from May 16 to 19 in São Paulo, and the ABCC will take Arab businesspeople there. Registration is open, the director said, for sectors like food and beverage, personal care, home cleaning, houseware, and others.

From November 7 to 9, Saudi Halal Expo , a halal multisectoral trade show, will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Brazilian companies from different industries can participate with the ABCC. The halal market moves around approximately USD 4 trillion.“This event is part of the ABCC's halal project, highlighting the relevance of halal certification, which brings a competitive edge to products in Muslim countries,” Leite said.

International missions

During the week of the Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries, a mission of Arab businesspeople will be in São Paulo. From July 2 to 9, the schedule includes multisectoral B2Bs, meetings with Brazilian buyers, and technical visits.

Daniella Leite

From September 12 to 18, an innovation mission to the UAE focused on more mature Brazilian startups.“The idea is benchmarking trends and innovations and get closer to the stakeholders in the region,” Leite said.

Another mission for Brazilian companies will go to Cairo, Egypt, from November 4 to 12, aimed at getting to know the facilities of the economic zone, mapping the market, and making technical visits.“It's the week of the Food Africa show, a very important event in the region,” the director pointed out.

Leite mentioned the opening of the new commercial office of the ABCC in Brasília, planned for this year, with still no date set.

Brazil Business Village

Rafael Solimeo

The ABCC international office in Dubai is launching the service Brazil Business Village, a one-stop-shop for operations with the Arab countries, Europe, and the East. The Village offers a one-time fee for starting Brazilian companies, rooms featuring operative support in the same building as the entity's office, and other services. The head of the Dubai office, Rafael Solimeo, said this is a unique opportunity for companies going international.

Office in Egypt

Michael Gamal

The head of the ABCC office in Cairo, Michael Gamal Kaddes, said it offers companies support regarding compliance with origin rules and the Mercosur-Egypt free trade agreement. The office is aimed at facilitating and holding more missions of Brazilians to Egypt and Egyptians to Brazil and fostering the value-added trade between the countries.

Lectures

Lectures, seminars, and webinars will occur throughout the year between São Paulo, Itajaí, Cairo, and Dubai. According to the Communication & Marketing director, Silvana Gomes, a series of lectures will take place in São Paulo on April 12, May 5, June 9, September 8, and October 20.

In Itajaí (SC), seminars will be held on April 19, June 20, September 23, and October 25. Between Dubai and Egypt, lectures will take place on May 25 and September 21.“The lectures will feature relevant technical content to improve international competitiveness,” said Gomes.

Technology

According to Silvana Gomes, 2022 is an exceptional year due to the celebration of the ABCC's 70th anniversary. She stated the organization would address the legacy of the significant events in recent months in the Arab countries, such as Expo 2020 Dubai, and its impacts. She also said innovation and digital transformation are already part of the ABCC, which will be intensified this year.

Marcos Bulgarelli

The entity's Technology manager, Marcos Bulgarelli, presented the work developed with the Ellos platform, which uses Blockchain technology for customs processes, all integrated into a single platform without using paper, reducing costs and bureaucracy, and streamlining foreign trade.“The technology has been used in Jordan since last year for all goods, and the food products that go from Brazil to Qatar are also in the platform,” said Bulgarelli. Egypt, according to him, is in the final stage of contract adjustments to receive imports not only from Brazil but all countries using the platform.

Ellos will continue to grow, and plans are to integrate it with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture.“We are also looking forward to a partnership to guarantee the traceability of 'farm to fork' products; considering the concern with food safety Arab countries have, so the final consumer can beep a QR Code and have all the information about the product. We have a great outlook, a great framework for this year,” said the manager.

Institutional

ABCC president Osmar Chohfi (opening picture) stated this is an extraordinary year for the organization.“The ABCC is working with the Brazilian and Arab authorities to expand and diversify the bilateral trade agenda. An essential step towards this goal is formalizing new free trade agreements with the countries of the diplomatic entity,” he said.

Tamer Mansour

He mentioned as an example the Mercosur–Egypt agreement, already in force, and its effectiveness in expanding the diversification of the trade agenda. Brazil has exported more animal protein and grains thanks to the agreement, and Egypt has been exporting new goods to the country, such as oranges, garlic, and textiles.

“This year, we want to move forward with the partnerships already outlined between Mercosur and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Lebanon, Palestine, and Morocco. These agreements are either very close to materializing or still under negotiation due to delicate aspects of at least one side, which we see as possible to overcome,” he declared.

According to the secretary-general and CEO of the ABCC, Tamer Mansour, this is a singular year not only for the celebration of the 70th anniversary but also for the innovation the board has been able to achieve in recent years.“We were one of the first chambers of commerce to hold virtual events at the beginning of the pandemic, our economic forum in 2020 was completely virtual, at the end of last year, we held the Global Halal Forum in a hybrid format and chose to release our calendar in this digital way,” said Mansour.

According to him, the Brazil-Arab Countries Economic Forum will celebrate the 70th anniversary and be the meeting point for several authorities and business people from the Arab countries and Brazil. He recalled the role of the entity's international office in Dubai, which has been working since the beginning of Expo 2020 in October last year, to receive Brazilian authorities.

The president of the New Development Bank (BRICS Bank), Marcos Troyjo, participated in the webinar. He gave the main lecture of the event, with an overview of foreign trade for 2022.

Read the story: International trade essential for development

Watch the full webinar:

Translated by Guilherme Miranda and Elúsio Brasileiro

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