Expo 2020

• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the best place in the world to start a new business, according to the latest annual Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) survey.
• The UAE has made particularly steady progress, progressing from fifth on the list in 2019 to the lead ranking.
• Saudi Arabia has risen from 17th to third over the same period, while India is up from sixth to second, having shaken off a pandemic dip in between.

How the survey works

• GEM captures this each year through a national expert survey that goes out to a range of entrepreneurship ecosystem stakeholders, including business leaders, government officials and academics.
• This year, 49 countries participated in the survey including most countries in the G20 (with exceptions like Australia that didn’t participate in the most recent survey).

The shift to the east

• In the UAE, for instance, there have been initiatives such as Projects of the 50, which includes priority visas for entrepreneurs and top students, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence, digital currencies and coding.
• The Ghadan 21 business accelerator programme has also been spending AED50 billion (£11 billion) in Abu Dhabi since 2019.

• This has seen the national enterprise development agency, Monsha’at, doing things like promoting university startups and fast-growing ventures.
• To attract foreign talent, the Saudi government also approved a new residency scheme in 2019 and an instant labour visa in 2023.

East v west

• In 2019, four out of the top ten countries were Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway and the US.
• When you look at countries like Switzerland, France, Norway and Germany, over 30% of their entrepreneurs are in business services.
• So both in the global east and also in low-income countries, there needs to be more impetus and support for encouraging business services.

• It’s also worth pointing out that entrepreneurship education needs more attention in most countries.
• In 31 out of 49 economies, it was rated as the weakest of the conditions assessed in the survey.

• Aileen is executive director of Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.
• All views expressed in this article are Aileen’s own.

• DUBAI, UAE, Jan. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Dhai Dubai, the first-ever Emirati-led light art festival, has launched its illuminating 10-day programme at Expo City Dubai.
• The free-to-attend festival is created and organised by Expo City Dubai, in partnership with AGB Creative and supported by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and will run from January 26 to February 4.
• The attendees were taken into a mesmerizing journey of lights and music, stopping at each larger-than-life stunning light art installations by seven renowned Emirati artists and designers.
• Amna Abulhoul, Executive Creative Director at Expo City Dubai, said: "Today, we add another bright light to our vibrant city.

• Sisters of the Desert projection show features works by Emirati Dhabia Jumaa Lamlah, Australian Rene Kulitja and South Africa's Dr Esther Mahlangu
  DUBAI, UAE, Jan. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Dhai Dubai, the first-ever Emirati-led light art festival, has launched its illuminating 10-day programme at Expo City Dubai.
• The event celebrates the rich artistic tapestry of Emirati talent through a series of awe-inspiring artistic projections, interactive installations, enlightening talks and creative workshops.
• The free-to-attend festival is created and organised by Expo City Dubai, in partnership with AGB Creative and Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and will run from January 26 to February 4.
• Festival visitors can also pledge to contribute toward Liter of Light's mission in communities across the Philippines, Kenya, Cameroon, and India.

• ● The UAE Pavilion at COP28 is located in the COP28 Blue Zone at Expo City Dubai and highlights the UAE’s journey to net zero.
• Dubai, UAE - 30 November 2023: As the UAE convenes the world for COP28 during the nation’s Year of Sustainability, the UAE Pavilion at COP28, within the Blue Zone, will present the UAE’s path towards Net Zero and encourage collaboration, ideation and actionism to achieve a more sustainable future together.
• The UAE Pavilion at the Blue Zone will be open to government leaders, experts, and those accredited by the UN from December 1 - 12, 2023.
• The UAE Pavilion will serve as a platform to showcase the country’s dedicated initiatives towards achieving Net Zero by 2050 and accelerate climate action.