Abu Dhabi Strategic Forum Launches: Shaping the Future and the UAE’s Vision for Peace
Visions and ideas converge on the platform of the 12th Abu Dhabi Strategic Forum, which seeks to anticipate global transformations and outline strategies for adapting to the evolving international order.
On Monday, the 12th edition of the Abu Dhabi Strategic Forum, organized by the Emirates Policy Center, opened in the UAE capital.
In her opening remarks, Dr. Ibtisam Al-Ketbi, President of the Emirates Policy Center, emphasized the significance of current geopolitical shifts, noting that the international order established nearly eight decades ago is now facing deep structural imbalances.
She added that the continuation of wars and their humanitarian repercussions reflect the failure of global political leadership, stressing that ending or reducing these conflicts would mark a revival of responsible leadership and a triumph of diplomacy and law over the language of force.
Al-Ketbi highlighted the positive role of the United Arab Emirates in promoting regional security and stability.
She stated that the UAE’s developmental model continues to shine as the stability of neighboring states grows, enabling their peoples to achieve national aspirations for dignity, prosperity, and freedom from injustice.
She further explained that strengthening security and stability across the Middle East is a strategic priority for the UAE — including the protection of civilians and the safeguarding of civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and places of worship.
Al-Ketbi stressed that the UAE’s approach is non-interventionist, supporting the unity, sovereignty, and stability of nation-states in Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, and Yemen, as well as in the occupied Palestinian territories — Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem — where the UAE hopes to see the emergence of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in freedom, security, cooperation, and stability.
Addressing global economic and geopolitical transformations, Al-Ketbi argued that they demand nations to develop adaptive capacities to respond to shifting power dynamics, financial market fluctuations, and challenges in trade and supply chains, requiring flexible strategies and smart diplomacy.
She also discussed the opportunities presented by emerging technologies — such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and next-generation innovations — that are redefining the foundations of the global economy and reshaping international influence.
In this regard, she affirmed that the UAE is committed to building comprehensive infrastructure and strategic flexibility to lead the transition from a knowledge-based to a future-oriented economy, while enhancing its leadership in advanced industries, renewable energy, and digital technologies.
Forum Goals and Sessions
The 12th Abu Dhabi Strategic Forum, held on November 10–11, is titled “Transformations of Power and Adaptation to the New World Order.”
Day One:
Sessions will highlight the UAE’s role in artificial intelligence as a tool of national strength, its regional and global ambitions, and its alignment with the global competition for technological dominance.
Discussions will also address the future of the war in Ukraine, Donald Trump’s foreign policy strategies, China’s grand strategy, the European security dilemma, and the future of NATO.
Additional topics include power struggles over rare metals and semiconductors, cross-regional trade, digital and physical infrastructure, and communication and space systems.
Day Two:
The second day will focus on the transformations of the Middle East after October 7, 2023, new regional power maps, the impact of the war with Israel on Iranian influence, Syria’s future after Bashar al-Assad, Lebanon’s challenges, post-war Gaza, Israeli politics, and their implications for the Palestinian issue.
