Hello and welcome!đ
This edition focuses on the 2023 Qatar Economic Forum, which took place in Doha between 23-25 May. I was fortunate enough to join the Bloomberg team as an editorial producer, and got to listen to an impressive variety of speakers. Their perspectives are outlined below.
As always, your likes, comments and questions are much appreciated!
The Qatar Economic Forum brought together presidents, ministers, world bankers and industry titans for three days of illuminating conversations. The agenda was packed with newsmakers and thought leaders, who covered everything from economic policies and supply chains to tourism and sports franchises.
Here are some of the key themes and takeaways from the event:
Russia-Ukraine war: Hungaryâs Viktor OrbĂĄn described the war as âa failure of diplomacyâ, warning that âthere is no victory for poor Ukrainians on the battlefieldâ. Prime Minister Garibashvili of Georgia shared a similar sentiment and asked the international community to do more to encourage peace talks. But former CIA director, General David Petraeus, was confident that âUkraine is going to show what can happen when you have well-trained, well-equipped, substantial additional forcesâ.
Great power rivalries: On the topic of geopolitical tensions, Bangladeshâs Sheikh Hasina and Malaysiaâs economy minister remained neutral, saying their governments worked with everyone. Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo said âChina has been a strong and good friendâ, while Paraguayâs outgoing president defended his countryâs strategic alliance with Taiwan. Steve Mnuchin, former US Treasury Secretary, said relations between Washington and Beijing âhave deteriorated to the point where it is quite concerningâ.
The Gulfâs ascendance: Saudi and Qatari ministers underlined the regionâs critical role in global energy security as well as their long-term approach to diversification. They also described the (now reunified) GCC market as a bright spot in an uncertain landscape and said they were committed to providing prosperity for future generations. IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva praised the Gulfâs âremarkable determination to pursue reformsâ. On the international finance front, Blackstoneâs Stephen Schwarzman said âMiddle Eastern sovereign funds have revolutionised capitalâ.
Path to sustainability: Progress has been made on goal setting but decarbonisation needs to happen at a significantly faster pace, noted PwCâs Bob Moritz. Meanwhile, the boss of Qatar Airways voiced scepticism about the aviation sector hitting net-zero emissions by 2050, citing a lack of sustainable jet fuel as one factor. Regarding commodities, Ivanhoe Mines founder Robert Friedland predicted that âoceans of copperâ will be required to boost charging capacity for electric vehicles.
Advances in artificial intelligence: TikTok CEO Shou Chew said AI âcould really quite profoundly improve our productivity across many things. Itâs a great tool for us, to make our daily lives and our daily work a lot betterâ. The prospect of efficiency gains was echoed by Insider CEO Hande Ăilingir and UalĂĄ CEO Pierpaolo Barbieri, both of whom believe that AI and machine learning will accelerate productivity.
All of the Forumâs discussions are available to watch on the official YouTube channel.
Thanks for reading! Take care and stay curious, Sara x