Global Trade’s New Imperative: Stay Open, Adapt Fast and Build Resilience
(MENAFN- APCO Worldwide) Dubai, 14 October 2026: Global trade must remain open while becoming faster, more adaptable and more resilient to geopolitical shocks, market volatility and supply-chain disruption, government officials and experts said during the Annual Meetings of the Global Future Councils in Dubai.
During “Trade In a Changing Worl”,” participants explored how an increasingly uncertain global economy is reshaping the movement of goods, capital and technology across borders, and what governments and businesses must do to protect global connectivity without retreating from openness. The session featured H.EčTimčo Mucunski, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of North Macedonia and a Young Global Leader; H.E. Fahad Al Gergawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Trade; Florence Gaub, Director of the Research Division at the NATO Defense College in Italy; Dr Karen E. Young, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia Unive’sity’s Center on Global Energy Policy; and Gulftainer Group CEO Fred Bulboaca.
Resilience through openness
H.E Mucunski said smaller economies compete not through scale, but through reliability, agility and sustainable partnerships. Resilience, he stressed, must not become a pretext for isolation; it depends on deeper connectivity, continued openness and integration with global markets. Strategic investment in energy, infrastructure and cross-border links can strengthen the bridges connecting economies and communities.
The UAE: built to adapt
HE Al Gergawi highlighted the UAE’s proactive approach to diversifying supply chains, logistics networks and trade routes. He said the count’y’s integrated ports, airports and transport systems enhance its capacity to respond to disruption, while trade creates a bridge for shared interests and deeper international cooperation. Readiness, rapid decision-making and early action, he added, are critical to sustaining growth.
No single route is enough
Gaub noted that security and trade are now inseparable as geopolitical competition increasingly affects maritime routes and strategic resources. Countries may continue trading despite political differences, she said, with economic relationships shaped as much by mutual interests as by traditional alliances.
Young said emerging and developing economies are becoming increasingly influential advocates for connectivity and economic openness. She underscored the need for rapid responses to market volatility, diversified energy sources, strategic reserves and credible alternatives that can keep economies moving through uncertainty.
Bulboaca said resilient trade cannot depend on a single port, corridor or mode of transport. It requires connected ports, logistics and industrial zones, diversified transport networks, and sustained investment in infrastructure, technology and enabling regulation. Building multiple routes into integrated supply chains, he said, gives businesses and economies vital alternatives when disruption strikes.
During “Trade In a Changing Worl”,” participants explored how an increasingly uncertain global economy is reshaping the movement of goods, capital and technology across borders, and what governments and businesses must do to protect global connectivity without retreating from openness. The session featured H.EčTimčo Mucunski, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of North Macedonia and a Young Global Leader; H.E. Fahad Al Gergawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Trade; Florence Gaub, Director of the Research Division at the NATO Defense College in Italy; Dr Karen E. Young, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia Unive’sity’s Center on Global Energy Policy; and Gulftainer Group CEO Fred Bulboaca.
Resilience through openness
H.E Mucunski said smaller economies compete not through scale, but through reliability, agility and sustainable partnerships. Resilience, he stressed, must not become a pretext for isolation; it depends on deeper connectivity, continued openness and integration with global markets. Strategic investment in energy, infrastructure and cross-border links can strengthen the bridges connecting economies and communities.
The UAE: built to adapt
HE Al Gergawi highlighted the UAE’s proactive approach to diversifying supply chains, logistics networks and trade routes. He said the count’y’s integrated ports, airports and transport systems enhance its capacity to respond to disruption, while trade creates a bridge for shared interests and deeper international cooperation. Readiness, rapid decision-making and early action, he added, are critical to sustaining growth.
No single route is enough
Gaub noted that security and trade are now inseparable as geopolitical competition increasingly affects maritime routes and strategic resources. Countries may continue trading despite political differences, she said, with economic relationships shaped as much by mutual interests as by traditional alliances.
Young said emerging and developing economies are becoming increasingly influential advocates for connectivity and economic openness. She underscored the need for rapid responses to market volatility, diversified energy sources, strategic reserves and credible alternatives that can keep economies moving through uncertainty.
Bulboaca said resilient trade cannot depend on a single port, corridor or mode of transport. It requires connected ports, logistics and industrial zones, diversified transport networks, and sustained investment in infrastructure, technology and enabling regulation. Building multiple routes into integrated supply chains, he said, gives businesses and economies vital alternatives when disruption strikes.
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