Strengthening Partnership with the United Arab Emirates: A Transformative Meeting
19 June 2025, Amsterdam – In a landmark meeting that promises to reshape the future of global commodity development, H.E. Mrs. Ameirah AlHefeiti, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Netherlands, visited the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) headquarters for the first time. Ambassador AlHefeiti, accompanied by Ms. Majd Abdallah, Second Secretary, met with Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of CFC, who was assisted by Ms. Zahra Kahla.
A Vision Shared: From Desert Bloom to Global Impact
Following an exchange of pleasantries, Ambassador Belal delivered a comprehensive briefing that painted a vivid picture of both opportunity and urgent need. Drawing parallels between the UAE's remarkable transformation—from a collection of desert settlements to a global hub of innovation, sustainability, and humanitarian leadership—Ambassador Belal emphasized how the UAE's transformative touch could similarly revolutionize CFC's impact on global commodity development.
"Just as the UAE transformed barren desert into thriving cities, built the world's tallest building, and created sustainable oases of prosperity," Ambassador Belal noted, "your partnership with CFC could transform the lives of millions of smallholder farmers from subsistence to prosperity, from marginalization to empowerment."
The Scale of Opportunity: Numbers That Demand Action
Ambassador Belal presented compelling evidence of the extraordinary and growing demand for CFC's services, revealing a stark reality that has emerged over the past three years. Since 2022, across six major calls for proposals (20th through 26th), CFC has received an overwhelming 1,237 project applications requesting a total of $1.16 billion in financing. However, CFC's capacity has only enabled support for 58 projects, representing a mere 7.3% of funding requested.
"Your Excellency," Ambassador Belal emphasized, "this represents a 93% unmet demand – nearly $1.1 billion in transformative projects that remain unfunded. This gap represents exactly the kind of challenge that UAE has consistently risen to meet. When others see obstacles, UAE sees opportunities. When others see problems, UAE builds solutions."
The Trend That Demands Attention
Particularly striking is the acceleration in demand seen in recent calls. The 26th call alone received 302 proposals – more than double the average of earlier calls – requesting $240.6 million. This surge demonstrates both the growing recognition of CFC's impact and the deepening crisis facing smallholder farmers globally.
"The world's farmers are crying out for partnership," Ambassador Belal noted. "Each proposal represents communities ready to transform their livelihoods if given the chance."
Humanizing Value Chains: A Moral Imperative
Central to the discussion was CFC's "Humanizing Value Chains" initiative, which Ambassador Belal described as essential to maximizing benefits for smallholder farmers, alleviating poverty, and combating hunger through inclusive and sustainable commodity development. He stressed that while commodity markets generate trillions in value globally, the farmers who produce these commodities often remain trapped in poverty—a paradox that both organizations are uniquely positioned to address.
Ambassador Belal particularly emphasized how UAE's proven expertise in logistics, infrastructure development, and innovative financing mechanisms could exponentially amplify CFC's impact, creating a model for South-South cooperation that the world desperately needs.
The Global South Leading by Example
Recognizing the urgency posed by current global challenges—from climate change to food insecurity affecting 735 million people worldwide—Ambassador Belal called for strengthening working relationships with member countries to bridge the development gap between the Global South and North. He positioned the UAE as a natural leader in demonstrating that Global South nations can drive solutions more effectively than traditional North-South approaches.
"UAE has shown that Global South leadership isn't just possible—it's superior," Ambassador Belal stated. "Your humanitarian aid of $7.3 billion annually, your climate leadership through COP28, your innovative development partnerships across Africa and Asia—these achievements prove that when Global South nations lead, transformative change follows."
The Mathematics of Partnership
Ambassador Belal put the funding gap in perspective relative to UAE's development capacity: "The entire $1.1 billion unmet demand over three years represents just 15% of UAE's annual development budget. Your daily development expenditure could fund what we're unable to support in an entire year. This isn't about charity – it's about efficiency and impact at scale."
The ACT Fund: A New Frontier for Partnership
Ambassador Belal formally invited Ambassador AlHefeiti to advocate for CFC's newly launched Agricultural Commodity Transformation (ACT) Fund within her government and among private sector stakeholders. The ACT Fund seeks to mobilize catalytic investments that can bring transformative improvements to commodity sectors, directly supporting sustainable development goals and poverty alleviation.
He emphasized that UAE's participation in the ACT Fund would not only provide crucial resources but would also validate the Fund's approach, likely attracting additional partners and multiplying its impact across the Global South.
Recognition and Appreciation: A Meeting of Minds
Ambassador AlHefeiti expressed appreciation for CFC's leadership in promoting inclusive growth through commodity value chains in developing countries. She acknowledged CFC's efforts to elevate awareness of these critical issues through the UN system, describing the organization's advocacy as necessary.
She also acknowledged CFC's integrated approach to commodity development, noting how the organization's work directly aligns with UAE's own commitment to sustainable development, food security and economic empowerment.
The Multiplier Effect Opportunity
Ambassador Belal highlighted how the 1,179 unfunded projects across the six calls represent not just missed opportunities, but a massive multiplier effect loss. "Based on our impact assessments, these projects would have generated $8.1 billion in economic returns, created over 235,000 jobs, and improved livelihoods for 2.95 million people. This is the scale of transformation that UAE partnership could unlock."
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