UfM Economic Forum: Promoting Investment Facilitation as Enabler of Inclusive and Sustainable Growth

Cairo, 19-21 October 2026. The UfM will organise the UfM Economic Forum on 19-21 October 2026 in Cairo, Egypt, building on the experience from 7 successive editions of its UfM Trade and Investment Forum that were held over the last 7 years.

The Forum, in its new format, will still place emphasis on trade, investment, and economic integration, with the inclusion of ad hoc thematic focus every year. This year’s edition addresses pathways for engaging the Private Sector as a key driver of sustainable economic development and growth in the region.

This Forum will comprise a full day of dialogue and presentation of best practices on investment facilitation with a focus on sustainable energy investment and connectivity followed back-to-back over two days by two workshops and capacity building formats on digital trade and the Pan Euro-Mediterranean (PEM) Convention (Rules of Origin).

The Conference is held in partnership with the German Development Cooperation (GIZ/BMZ) and the European Commission (DG TRADE and DG TAXUD), with the support of the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt. It will bring together partners and stakeholders from both shores of the Euro-Mediterranean region to exchange experiences, success stories, and forge meaningful partnerships to address the current opportunities and challenges with respect to unleashing the full potential of investment flows in the region, which remains to be seriously flawed given the skewed intra-regional trade and investment patterns.

The Forum will facilitate structured exchange between the decision makers and the Private Sector representatives. Outputs from the Forum will inform policymakers and business leaders in the region regarding necessary measures, innovative approaches, and existing investment opportunities.

Registrations to the UfM Economic Forum are now open. Please register here. 

For further information, please consult the Concept Note.

Download the Agenda.

Side event: Regional Workshop on Digital Trade and E-Commerce in the MENA Region