Vice Chairman of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy Holds Meetings with French President's Envoy

The delegation to Road To Paris – The World Summit of Regions, headed by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and Chairman of the World Green Economy Summit (WGES), held a meeting with Nicolas Hulot, Special Envoy of the French President for the Protection of the Planet during the summit, which is organised by World Climate Ltd., in Paris, France. The meeting was attended by Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources, and Ahmed Abdullah, Senior Manager of External Communications at DEWA. The meeting discussed bilateral relations in different fields, and ways to foster cooperation between the two sides, particularly in sustainability and green economy. Speaking on behalf of the French Government, Hulot expressed his admiration of the developments Dubai has achieved in all aspects, especially its use of renewable energy through the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which will produce 1,000MW by 2030, and will be one of the biggest energy parks in the region. Meetings with UN organisations and bodies Al Tayer and the delegation also held meetings with a number of UN organisations and bodies. The first meeting was held with officials from the 10-Year Framework Programme (10YFP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The meeting included Charles Arden-Clarke, Acting Head of the 10YFP Secretariat, Helena Rey, UNEP's Tourism and Environment Programme Officer, Waleed Salman, Vice Chairman of the World Green Economy Summit, Stephan Le Gentil, CEO of Etihad ESCO, Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA, Ivano Ianelli, CEO of the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence, Abdulnasser Abbas, Senior Director of Treasury, and Ahmed Abdullah, Senior Manager of External Communications at DEWA. The meeting discussed collaboration in different areas, particularly the sustainable tourism of Dubai as part of the 10YFP, to measure and evaluate the indicators of sustainable tourism and the efficient use of resources in light of the State of Green Economy Report. Al Tayer invited UNEP to participate in the World Green Economy Summit 2015 which will be held next April in Dubai, in conjunction with WETEX 2015. UNEP officials welcomed the invitation and confirmed their participation in the event. The second meeting was held with officials from the United Nations Social Development Network (UNSDNS). The meeting included Guido Schmidt-Traub, Executive Director of UNSDNS, Eve de la Mothe Karoubi, Manager of UNSDNS, Waleed Salman, CEO of the Dubai Green Economy Partnership, Fahad Al Gergawi, Secretary General of the Dubai Green Economy Partnership, CEO of the Foreign Investment Office in the Department of Economic Development, and representatives from DEWA, the Department of Economic Development and the CEO of the FDI. The meeting reviewed the Dubai Green Economy Partnership initiative launched by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, to stimulate the green growth and sustainable development of Dubai, and enhance its position as a leading global city in the transition towards a green economy. The two sides discussed strengthening cooperation between UNSDN, WGES, and the Dubai Green Economy Partnership. This includes participating in the UNSDN meetings in Washington, USA, on low-carbon development technologies, in addition to cooperation in sustainable development with local universities in Dubai. UNSDNS confirmed their participation in the WGES 2015, which will be held next April in Dubai.