DUBAI, 30th November, 2020 (WAM) -- The UAE is set to welcome the first Israeli technology delegation to the country at the landmark 40th edition of GITEX Technology Week, hosted at Dubai World Trade Centre. To be held from 6-10 December, GITEX this year is the world’s only live, in-person global technology event.

The Israel Export Institute, IEI, Strategic Country Partner for GITEX, in partnership with Bank Hapoalim, will lead the delegation of Israeli government officials, entrepreneurs and business executives. GITEX will host the UAE-Israel Future Digital Economy Summit featuring a lineup of UAE government ministers and Israeli government and innovation leaders on 7 December, presenting attendees with vast opportunities in the areas of innovation exploration, capacity building, investments and co-creation.

With visitor health and safety being DWTC’s number one priority, GITEX Technology Week will be hosted in full compliance with Dubai Government regulations, as well as the guidelines of the Dubai Health Authority and Dubai Municipality.

Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Teleworking Applications, noted that the UAE-Israel Future Digital Economy Summit will create new opportunities for using modern technologies effectively in the digital transformation matrix.

Al Olama said: 'Organising this first-of-its kind summit at the 40th edition of GITEX Technology Week constitutes a major stepping stone in strengthening cooperation in the field of digital transformation and the future digital economy. It will contribute to expanding knowledge exchange between both countries and accelerate the implementation of innovative solutions and services based on future technologies.'

He affirmed the UAE government's commitment to cooperate with government entities as well as leading and emerging companies around the world. He also emphasised the country’s keenness to support and empower citizens with advanced skills and experience.

The UAE-Israel Future Digital Economy Summit, jointly presented by DWTC and IEI, features an agenda packed with leading government officials and innovation experts, who will share their perspectives on the potential for economic and technological collaboration between the two countries. The Summit will bring together specialists in AI, 5G, food security, fintech, future mobility, cybersecurity, healthcare and agri-tech.

Government ministers, industry leaders and tech visionaries from the UAE participating in the Summit include: Reem Ebrahim Al Hashemy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai; Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Teleworking Applications; Mariam Almheiri, Minister of State for Food and Water Security; Dr. Mohamed Hamad Al-Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security, UAE Government; Dr. Tariq bin Hendi, Director General, Abu Dhabi Investment Office; Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation; Dr. Manal Taryam, CEO of Primary Health Care Sector, Dubai Health Authority; Mohamed Alabbar, Founder, Emaar Properties & Founder, noon.com; Khalfan Belhoul, CEO, Dubai Future Foundation; Arif Amiri, CEO, Dubai International Financial Centre Authority; Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO, Public Transport Agency, Dubai Roads and Transport Authority; Ahmad Julfar, Board Member and Managing Director, du; Hatem Dowidar, Acting CEO, Etisalat Group and CEO, Etisalat International; and Sherif Beshara, Group CEO, Mohamed and Obaid Al Mulla Group of Companies, American Hospital.

Israeli speakers taking part in the Summit include: Adiv Baruch, Chairman Israel Export Institute; Yigal Unna, Director General, Israel National Cyber Directorate, INCD; Dr. Anat Lea Bonshtien, Chairperson and Director, Fuel Choices and Smart Mobility Initiative of Israel National Programme for Smart Mobility; Dov Kotler, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bank Hapoalim; Professor David Gershon, Head of Fintech Research Center of Hebrew University and former CEO of SuperDerivatives; Professor Zeev Rotstein, Director General, Hadassah Medical Organisation; Assaf Barnea, CEO, Sanara Ventures, Chairperson, Life Science Advisory Board at The Israel Export Institute; Michal Geva, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Triventures; Tal Granot Goldstein, CEO, HOT Group; Dr. Nimrod Kozlovski, Partner, Head of Tech and Regulation, HFN and Herzog Strategic, Adjunct Professor, Cyber Studies, Tel-Aviv University; Ran Guron, CEO, Pelephone; Orly Glick, Partner, Vintage, Investment Partners.

David Leffler, CEO, Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry, said, 'The participation of Israeli companies in the GITEX exhibition and in the Israeli delegation to Dubai is of great importance and we welcome this opportunity. I believe that the collaboration with this important technology show will lead to the advancement of the industry and the blossoming of new business connections. The Ministry of Economy, together with the Foreign Trade Administration, is constantly working to create joint business opportunities.'

Adiv Baruch, Chairman, Israel Export Institute: 'We are confident that the UAE-Israel Future Digital Economy Summit will be a significant step in fostering technological collaboration between the two countries, and that it will lay the foundations for tangible positive impact in the coming years. The potential for partnerships between the UAE and Israel in digital technologies is significant, with both countries possessing considerable expertise in innovation. This first and biggest tech- business delegation from Israel to the UAE is of high importance to the State of Israel, and we at the Israel Export Institute, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will continue efforts to create business opportunities in new markets. Being one of the biggest, most important tech shows and the world’s only live global technology event in 2020, GITEX is an extremely important strategic step for the Israeli high-tech industry. We embrace this new partnership with DWTC and hope it will lead to a long-lasting collaboration.'

Dov Kotler, CEO of Bank Hapoalim, said: 'Bank Hapoalim has established very close relations with the key players in the high-tech sector and in particular with fintech companies in the past few years. We engage with hundreds of companies in order to define the best solutions and to create mutual interest for both the companies and our clients. We strive for the best and are working to expand our involvement in the high-tech arena as we see huge potential in cooperation between the UAE and Israel. The engagement between the two countries will lead to the opening of mutual doors in this area, and GITEX is a major factor in this process.'

The first GITEX Future Stars Israel Innovation Discovery Day hosted at GITEX on 8 December will see technology leaders, leading investors and business leaders sharing insights on how to expand already thriving startup ecosystems.

With GITEX set to host over 200 active venture capital firms, VCs, and investors from over 30 countries, including EBAN (Belgium), MODUS Capital (USA), 500 Startups (Egypt) and MENA Tech Fund (UK), Israel, for the first time, will be bringing over 30 exhibiting companies including Digisense, a market leader in contact-free wearable monitoring technology with IoT capabilities; Trackimo, the personal safety and object tracking solution specialist; Right Hear, the audio wayfinding system that allows the blind, visually impaired, and orientationally challenged to have a better understanding of their surroundings in an independent manner; Enroute, developer of a personalised, location-based commerce and loyalty plug-in for ride-hailing companies; and Foresight, developer of AI and deep learning-powered observation and surveillance systems.

The Israel Innovation Discovery Day will feature a selection of investors and technology experts, including Omri Toppoi, Partner, North First Ventures, co-founder of multiple startup units; Roy Geva Glasberg, Founder and Managing Partner, AnD-Ventures, who built the Google global mentoring initiative for startups as global manager of the Launchpad Google Startup programme, scaling it to over 40 countries; and Hanan Brand, Managing Partner, Cornerstone Venture Partners and Chairman, Made in Jerusalem, the non-profit community-based organisation that promotes and connects Jerusalem's startup and tech ecosystem.

GITEX will welcome over 1,200 participating enterprises and startups from over 60 countries. The event will feature 280 hours of content and 350 expert speakers from 30 countries presenting live on stage, across industries and sectors including Artificial Intelligence, Smart Cities & 5G, Government, Future Mobility, Fintech, Digital Marketing, Energy, Healthcare and Education.

GITEX Technology Week will serve as an umbrella event for the region’s leading technology shows, including GITEX Future Stars, the region’s largest tech startup event; the Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference, GISEC, the region’s largest cybersecurity conference and exhibition; Future Blockchain Summit, the leading Blockchain festival, as well as the inaugural edition of Marketing Mania, the new platform dedicated to brand marketers.

Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai World Trade Centre Authority, DWTCA, said: 'GITEX’s 40th anniversary edition has received outstanding support from the global technology community to realise the only live technology event of the year. GITEX is an essential catalyst in developing a high-growth technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem, as well as a key driver of Dubai’s international business tourism. The 40th edition of GITEX is a significant milestone for the global technology industry, and a testament to Dubai’s enduring appeal as a global MICE hub. The first ever UAE-Israel Future Digital Economy Summit is a landmark moment for collaborative technological efforts between our two countries, enabling us to unlock value-generating opportunities.'

GITEX will attract the world’s leading technology giants, including Microsoft, Dell Technologies, du, Etisalat, Lenovo, Honeywell, Avaya, IBM, Red Hat, TECOM Group and Huawei, while GISEC will host the Dubai Electronic Security Center and cybersecurity industry leaders including SPIRE Solutions, and the Future Blockchain Summit will host innovators such as Shahada.

GITEX will also showcase the technological progress of a range of UAE Government entities who are leading the country’s digital economy transformation, including Smart Dubai, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, the Abu Dhabi Government, Dubai Police and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority. In addition, the event will feature the presence of Ajman Government and Fujairah Government.

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