The General Authority for Competition concluded its participation in the 23rd session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy, under the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), held in Geneva with the participation of heads of competition authorities and international experts from around the world.

The Authority’s statement explained that CEO Dr. Fahd bin Ibrahim Al-Shethri delivered the Kingdom's speech at the opening session, reviewing the Authority's regulatory achievements and their impact on market efficiency, within an advanced legislative framework that the Authority seeks to align with the highest international standards in competition policy.

The Authority added that Dr. Al-Shethri spoke at a session on "Prioritizing Cases to Measure the Impact of Implementing Competition Laws and Policies," presenting the Kingdom's experience in measuring the impact of policy implementation and the importance of developing methodologies to enhance market efficiency. He also intervened in a session on recent developments in digital markets, addressing the regulatory challenges posed by digital platforms and the importance of international cooperation to keep pace with these transformations.

Enhancing Cooperation and Exchange of Expertise

For its part, the Authority's delegation participated in a session on "Capacity Building and Technical Assistance on Competition Laws and Policies," which addressed the importance of enhancing international cooperation and supporting the capacities of competition authorities. On the sidelines of the meetings, the CEO of the Authority met with the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations Office and International Organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Abdulmohsen bin Khathila, where they discussed ways to enhance the Authority's role within the framework of UNCTAD, exchange expertise, and review the Kingdom's experience in promoting market competition.

In the same context, Dr. Al-Shethri met with several heads of global competition authorities, including Assistant Undersecretary for Consumer Affairs at the Qatari Ministry of Commerce and Industry Hassan bin Sultan Al-Ghanim, President of the Algerian Competition Council Ahmed Dakhinessa, and Chairman of the Georgian Competition and Consumer Protection Agency Dr. Irakli Lekvinadze, to review ways to enhance joint cooperation and exchange best practices in enforcing competition regulations.

It is noteworthy that the Authority's participation comes within the framework of its efforts to enhance the Kingdom's presence in international forums and exchange expertise with counterpart agencies, contributing to the development of competition policies and supporting the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.