Canada-United Arab Emirates relations

Canada’s areas of action

Bilateral relationship

Canada and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have a broad and deep relationship focused principally on building prosperity for both our societies, strengthening regional and global security, contributing to economic and social development in third countries, including empowering women and girls and deepening people to people ties. Canada is represented in the UAE at our Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate General in Dubai. The UAE is represented by its embassy in Ottawa.

Trade relationship

The UAE is Canada’s largest export market in the Middle East and North Africa and is the 20th largest foreign investor, accounting for 0.44% of total direct investment in Canada. In 2020, the UAE ranked as Canada’s largest merchandise export market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Canadian merchandise exports to the UAE in 2020 grew by 17.8% from the previous year, to $1.8 billion. Merchandise imports from the UAE grew by 17.3% in 2020 to nearly $250 million.

Canada will participate in Expo 2020 Dubai, to be held from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

• The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service
• Export Development Canada
• The Canadian Commercial Corporation

Trade and investment agreements

Trade and investment agreements involving Canada and the United Arab Emirates:

• Canada-United Arab Emirates Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement Negotiations
• World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA)
• Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
• Agreement on Trade-related Investment Measures (TRIMS)
• General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT)
• General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
• World Trade Organization Information Technology Agreement (ITA)

For more information, consult trade and investment agreements.

Operations

Canada and the UAE are partners in combatting international terrorism, including the fight against Daesh. They work together to counter violent extremism, including through Canada’s membership on the International Steering Board of the UAE-based Hedayah Centre, which received about $400,000 in programming funds from Canada.

A number of Canadian government departments and institutions collaborate with their Emirati counterparts to advanced joint interests, including through a Defence Cooperation Arrangement, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the RCMP and the Abu Dhabi Police, and an MOU between the Canadian Space Agency and the UAE Space Agency. Cooperation continues between Public Safety and the UAE Ministry of Interior to strengthen cooperation on police, corrections, border issues and training opportunities. A Joint Consular Cooperation Committee, established in June 2018, meets regularly to enhance cooperation on consular affairs and discuss consular matters.

Partners and organizations

To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and the United Arab Emirates work closely in multilateral fora, such as:

• La Francophonie
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
• Pacific Alliance
• United Nations (UN)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)