Iran Proposes Joint AI Platform to Unify Trade Data Among Islamic Nations
According to the Economic Desk of Webangah News Agency, Samad Hassanzadeh, the Chairman of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture, described the 41st General Assembly of the Islamic Chamber held in Mecca as a symbol of economic and trade convergence for the Islamic world. He emphasized that in today’s rapidly changing global environment, stakeholders in the commerce sectors of Islamic nations bear the responsibility of forging a brighter, more competitive, and better-coordinated future for their economic actors, necessitating unparalleled joint collaboration, trust, and innovation.
Hassanzadeh highlighted the immense human, natural, and economic resources within the Islamic sphere. He asserted that genuine economic prosperity can be achieved by modernizing trade mechanisms, adopting new technologies, and bolstering institutional cooperation. Artificial Intelligence, he noted, is a critical tool with multifaceted commercial applications that must guide future endeavors. AI has now become a cornerstone of global trade transformation, and chambers of commerce must lead the adoption of these new instruments.
Elaborating on AI’s commercial utility, Hassanzadeh pointed to its use in analyzing trade data, forecasting import and export trends, streamlining buyer-seller matching, optimizing supply chains, mitigating credit risks, and providing smart consultancy to traders. Critically, he proposed that the chambers of commerce of Islamic nations should establish a joint, AI-driven platform capable of integrating and analyzing national trade data to pinpoint tangible opportunities for collaboration.
The Chairman of the Iranian Chamber stressed that maintaining trade competitiveness within the Islamic world requires establishing the necessary infrastructure, policies, and educational frameworks for the widespread adoption of AI. Nevertheless, beyond embracing modern technology in national macro and micro policies and operations, several persistent issues remain unresolved among member states.
Hassanzadeh pointed out that significant obstacles continue to impede trade among Islamic countries, despite vast potential for synergy. Among these hurdles is the necessity for harmonized mechanisms to facilitate business visas, particularly for established economic operators and members of commerce chambers—an apparently simple issue that frequently disrupts business plans.
He further detailed other necessary reforms, including the reduction of inefficient bureaucracy in certain trade procedures and the digitalization of services utilizing these modern tools to create transparent and standardized processes. Examples include the digitalization of transport and logistics, a vital component of the supply chain. Other crucial areas involve strengthening preferential trade agreements, implementing joint tariffs for selected goods, and creating mutual frameworks to facilitate financial and banking exchanges between member countries. He suggested that chambers of commerce could address these deficiencies within specialized working groups, developing proposals for government approval to enhance and accelerate trade processes.
The Chairman of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture expressed confidence that through collective resolve, intra-organizational trade among Islamic countries could multiply, leading to the creation of a dynamic and reliable market.
The Iran Chamber of Commerce reported that Hassanzadeh praised the Islamic Chamber for establishing an arbitration center supervised by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). He deemed the center a significant, practical step in assuring investors and traders. Consequently, all members should strive to reinforce the center’s role. It was recommended that Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) be signed between the OIC Arbitration Center and national arbitration centers to facilitate experience exchange, procedural harmonization, and broader access for economic actors in member countries. Furthermore, members should encourage the use of the center’s services in international trade contracts, positioning it as a trustworthy, impartial, and credible reference for all international bodies and organizations.
Hassanzadeh suggested that member states should inform their traders and businesses of the requirement to use the OIC Arbitration Center’s services in their trade agreements and actively encourage compliance. Promoting the center’s training programs and services during conferences can foster a culture of dispute resolution through arbitration, offering a rapid, cost-effective, and professional solution. Implementing these proposals, he concluded, will enhance the legal security of trade within the Islamic world and resolve commercial disputes efficiently.
