DUBAI, 28th October, 2026 (WAM) -- The seventh Arab Competition Forum opened today in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, bringing together senior officials from regional and international competition authorities, leading experts, academics and private-sector representatives to shape fairer, more competitive digital markets across the Arab region.
Held under the theme “Competition policy in the digital age: maintaining fairness and equality in the market”, the two-day Forum will examine how digital transformation is reshaping competition in the Arab region. Participants will explore how modern competition frameworks can safeguard fairness, expand opportunity and support well-functioning markets in the digital economy.
The Forum is organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the Competition Department of the Ministry of Economy and Tourism of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in partnership with UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the COMESA Competition and Consumer Commission (CCCC). UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri opened the event alongside senior representatives of the partner organizations.
Bin Touq emphasized that competition is becoming increasingly important, given the rapid transformations witnessed in global markets, particularly with the growing role of digital platforms and artificial intelligence. This necessitates the continuous development of regulatory policies to strike the right balance between fostering innovation and maintaining market openness.
He added that the UAE continues to develop its legislative framework for competition in line with Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2023 on the Regulation of Competition and its executive regulations, which serve to embed the principles of fair competition and enhance market efficiency. Reflecting this approach, the Ministry of Economy and Tourism processed 85 applications for economic concentration between 2023 and September 28, 2026, involving transactions with a total value exceeding AED 81 billion. Furthermore, the integration of digital tools powered by artificial intelligence has reduced the processing time for applications from approximately 100 days to 15 days, further enhancing the efficiency of regulatory procedures and bolstering the competitiveness of the national economy.
He further noted that the UAE’s hosting of the Seventh Arab Competition Forum represents a significant opportunity to unify efforts, exchange expertise, and develop shared visions that help navigate economic and technological shifts, while strengthening cooperation to establish fair competition and ensure markets remain open.
Across its sessions, the Forum will spotlight emerging challenges and effective practices in digital markets, while strengthening knowledge-sharing, cooperation and peer learning at the national, regional and international levels.
The Forum builds on measurable regional progress. ESCWA assessments show that the average score for competition frameworks across Arab countries rose from 3.73 out of 7 in 2021 to 4.1 in the latest assessment, published in 2024.
“The Arab region has made tangible progress in developing its competition frameworks,” ESCWA Executive Secretary Rania Al-Mashat highlighted in a recorded message. “However, legislation alone is no longer sufficient. The challenge today is to ensure its effective implementation and to empower competition authorities to keep pace with rapidly evolving digital markets,” she stressed.
Data, algorithms, network effects and the reach of digital platforms can power innovation. Yet these same forces can also create formidable barriers to entry and limit the ability of new competitors to challenge established players.
“Digital economies across the region are growing rapidly. But growth without competition is fragile,” UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno said. “Promising start-ups can be squeezed out before they reach scale or acquired before they reach maturity. As a result, consumers pay more, choose less, and trust in markets erodes.”
The programme will cover the relationship between ex-ante regulation and competition enforcement in digital markets; regional cooperation to build coherent digital competition policy; merger control in the digital sector; and coordination between competition and consumer-protection authorities in the digital era.
“Several Governments across the region are investing heavily in digital infrastructure, fintech, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and smart services,” Saïd Kechida, Manager of the Competition Division for Africa and the Middle East at OECD highlighted, on behalf of Chair of OECD Competition Committee Benoît Coeuré. “To maximize the benefits of these investments, all the authorities present in this Forum today should discuss and think about ways to ensure that markets remain open, contestable, and innovative,” he added.
The Forum will conclude with a forward-looking discussion on fair and competitive digital markets in the Arab region, with participants seeking concrete recommendations to strengthen competition in the digital era.
“We meet at a time when digital transformation is changing the way economies, businesses, and consumers operate. Technologies are creating new opportunities for innovation, economic growth, financial inclusion, and consumer benefits,” CCCC Director and Chief Executive Officer Willard Mwemba underscored. “At the same time, these developments raise important competition concerns and increased market concentration,” he warned.
The opening session was followed by a special discussion on “Arab young people in competition”, featuring an awards ceremony for the winners of the Student Competition Challenge, launched by ESCWA and the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism. American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) student Nafisabono Mominova won first place for her paper, “Gatekeeping in the Digital Age: Apple's App Store, Competition Policy Enforcement, and Lessons for the Arab Region”. Sofia Abdel Latif of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) placed second, while a team from the University of Sharjah took third place.