Hili International Forum in Abu Dhabi: Redefining the Global Order

5th September 2025

2 minutes read

Hili International Forum in Abu Dhabi: Redefining the Global Order

The United Arab Emirates’ capital, Abu Dhabi, is preparing to host the second edition of the Hili International Forum next Monday, bringing together a wide range of political leaders, economic experts, intellectuals, and academics from across the globe.

Organized by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research in partnership with the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy, the forum will be held under the theme “Resetting the Global Order: Trade, Technology, Governance.” Its aim is to enrich strategic discussions within the UAE, provide scientific and analytical contributions, and help shape the global environment amid profound and rapid transformations.

The chosen theme reflects the urgent need to navigate a year defined by shifting economic priorities, accelerating technological revolutions, and evolving geopolitical dynamics. The forum underscores that traditional governance models are no longer sufficient to address today’s challenges—ranging from ongoing conflicts and shifting power balances to the digital divide, trade disputes, energy transitions, and climate change.

This year’s edition will bring together more than one thousand participants, including leaders, innovators, and policymakers, alongside over seventy international speakers. Delegations from more than thirty countries will attend, and over twenty panel sessions will explore three central pillars: geopolitical, geoeconomic, and geotechnological.

The geopolitical pillar examines global power shifts in the context of intensified competition among major powers and the growing influence of middle powers. It considers the uncertainty inherent in global restructuring, while also highlighting new opportunities for partnerships in a multipolar world.

The geoeconomic pillar addresses the structural changes shaping the global economy, marked by fragmentation and protectionist trends. It emphasizes opportunities available to actors capable of innovation and strategic positioning in an increasingly complex landscape.

The geotechnological pillar focuses on the transformative impact of disruptive technologies—artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics—on global power, national security, economic competitiveness, and geopolitical relations. The goal is to promote fair technological development that contributes to global stability.

Prominent international figures are set to participate, including Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism; Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs; Catherine Ashton, former EU High Representative; Abdullah Hamdok, former Prime Minister of Sudan; Nasser Judeh, former Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister; Hoshyar Zebari, former Iraqi Foreign Minister; and Zhang Jun, former Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations.

The forum builds on the inaugural “Hili Regional Dialogues,” launched in July 2025 in Rio de Janeiro under the theme “UAE–Latin American Relations: Promising Pathways.”

Its name is inspired by the ancient archaeological site of Hili in Al Ain, a cultural and commercial crossroads dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages, symbolizing the UAE’s historical role as a meeting point of civilizations.