Sharjah 24 - WAM: Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, opened the 85th General Meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in Dubai on Sunday, together with the IEC President Dr Yinbiao Shu. The event takes place between 3rd and 7th October.

Held under the theme of "Leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution by Standardisation", the 85th General Meeting is the first to be held in the UAE as well as the wider Middle East region. The hybrid event also represents the first in-person attendance by members of the IEC since their 2019 General Meeting in China, underlining the UAE’s ability to safely host large-scale, international events despite the ongoing challenges of the global pandemic.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber highlighted how the IEC General Meeting coincides with both the launch of the World Expo and the UAE’s bold plans for its own industrial sector, which were recently laid out in the landmark "Projects of the 50" initiative.

He said, "In line with the vision and directives of the UAE’s wise leadership, we have developed a comprehensive national strategy for industry and technology. This strategy seeks to shape the future and is the largest and most comprehensive vision for industrial development in the UAE."

Also speaking at the launch of the General Meeting was IEC President, Dr. Yinbiao Shu. He underlined both the potential of the Fourth Industrial revolution and the role that standards and certification play in the technological transformation of countries such as the UAE. "Industry 4.0 is fueled by new technologies that offer intelligence, automation and a new level of efficiency. Advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence make it possible to collect, share and analyse huge volumes of data. As a result, the insights gained through deploying these technologies help to improve processes, systems and services as well as ensure their non-stop reliability.