On 1 July, the Qatar Free Zones Authority and The Business Year hosted a Digital Roundtable addressing current trade and investment challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic implications and how special economic zones (SEZs) can adapt to the new realities. The panel was joined by representatives of the World Economic Forum and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and gathered more than 180 participants.

UNCTAD presented the key findings of the World Investment Report 2019 regarding main trends in SEZ policy making as well as of the most recent World Investment Report 2020 concerning national responses to the pandemic in the field of foreign investment.

Speakers included:

• H.E. Ahmad Al-Sayed, Minsiter of State & Chairman of the Board of the Qatar Free Zones Authority
• Dr Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow, ISAS, National University of Singapore
  World Economic Forum
• Dr Oktawian Kuc, Investment Policy Officer, Division on Investment and Enterprise, UNCTAD
• Ayse Valentin, CEO, The Business Year

The representatives of the private sector included:

• Amadou Diallo, CEO, Middle East & Africa, DHL Global Forwarding
• Quentin Descat, Head of Marketing, Middle East, Bayer Pharmaceuticals
• Vincente Andres Wong, Commercial Manager, Reybanpac
• Lim Meng Hui, CEO, Qatar Free Zones Authority