Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | World Green Economy Summit second day sessions highlight the UAE’s priority areas for COP28

The second day sessions of World Green Economy Summit (WGES) focused on the UAE’s priority areas for COP28.

Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE), Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO) organised the 9th WGES on 28-29 November 2023 at Madinat Jumeirah Conference Centre in Dubai. Several local and international figures, officials, decision-makers, experts, speakers, government officials, media professionals, and academicians participated.

The sessions on the final day of the Summit commenced with a fireside chat held under the theme ‘Recognising the Urgency of Climate Action to Keep 1.5°C Alive.’ The key speaker of the session was HE Surangel Whipps Jr., President of Republic of Palau and it was moderated by Naoufer Ramoul, Senior TV Presenter at Dubai Media. The President of Palau reviewed the capability of the Global Alliance on Green Economy (GAGE) to elevate climate actions even beyond 2030.

The panel discussion titled ‘Corporate Policies Toward Net Zero: A Multi-Sectoral Approach’ explored key corporate strategies required to attain the goals set by the Paris Agreement and also highlighted the efforts of various industries in mitigating complex environmental challenges. The key speakers of the panel were Maher Al Kaabi, Independent Board Member of Alserkal Group; Eng Ahmed Al Shamsi, MD and CEO of SWS Holding and Martin Chilcot, Founder and CEO of Manufacture 2030.  The session was moderated by John Defterios, Professor of Practice in Business at NYU Abu Dhabi.

During the panel discussion titled ‘Technology Transfer: A Discussion of Technical Knowledge Sharing with Low and Middle-Income Countries’, speakers highlighted the prospects of developing and supplying green technologies and best practices in the field. They emphasised that in the global efforts to address climate change challenges, low- and middle-income countries require significant support, especially in regards with developing, implementing or disseminating key technologies. Dr Roberta Rabellotti, Professor of Economics at University of Pavia; Maryam Telmesani, Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) of Modern Building Leaders; Dr Evan Van Hook, CSO of Viridi; Dr Ralf Blumenthal, Senior Vice President and Head of Grid Software Middle East at Siemens and Dr Shamika N. Sirimanne, Director of Division on Technology and Logistics at UNCTAD, were the key speakers at the session. The panel was moderated by Katie Jensen, Dubai One News Anchor.

“We discussed during the panel how to enforce and support the green transition in late Comer countries and the role of international government cooperation and national government countries. In particular, I have emphasized the role of multinational companies, which can play a key role for transferring green knowledge to developing countries. We have found with some empirical research that subsidiaries in developing countries tend to be more innovative in green technologies than domestic companies. So the role of multinational is important from this point of view. At the same time, there are countries in particular least developed countries in which is difficult to attract foreign investors, so it is important to create an ecosystem, in which foreign investor could find the incentives to invest and for this, the role of public finance is important. So there is an important role to be played by multilateral and national development banks for the public fund,” said Dr Roberta Rabellotti, Professor of Economics, University of Pavia.

Another panel discussion was held under the theme ‘Role of Cities in Transitioning to Green Economy and Climate Action’, in which the speakers shed light on the efforts of various cities in addressing various environmental challenges and promoting sustainability. The session also covered various aspects required to ensure a greener and resilient future, such as urban planning, renewable energy adoption, sustainable transportation, waste management and contributions of local government, businesses and communities in driving climate action.  Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG AFRICA); Nadia Verjee, Executive Director, Expo Dubai Group; Dr Samir Hamrouni, CEO of World Free Zones Organization and Dr Mahamadou Tounkara, Regional Director of Middle East and North Africa Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) were key speakers of the session. The conversations of the panel were steered by Saeed Al Abbar, CEO of AESG.

Speakers at the high-level panel discussion held under the theme ‘The Role of the Private Sector in Low-Emission and Climate Resilient Pathways’ reviewed best-practices in implementing the initiatives under Marrakesh Partnership in accelerating the efforts to attain low-emissions and climate-resilience. Furthermore, the session highlighted the key role high-level champions can play in influencing non-state actors to improve their climate actions.  During the session, the speakers including HE Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN Climate Change High-level Champion for Egypt; Raad Al Saady, Vice Chairman and MD of ACWA Power; James Grabert, Director of Mitigation Division at UNFCCC, and Gonzalo Muñoz, UN Climate Change High-level Champion for COP25, Chile, shared their insightful views on the topic. Cecilia Kinuthia Njenga, Director of Intergovernmental Support at UNFCCC, moderated the panel.

Another session was held under the theme ‘Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Hydrogen: Challenges and Opportunities’, which highlighted the vast possibilities of leveraging CCS and hydrogen in the drive to tackle climate change and their impact in the transition to green economy. During the session, the key speakers including Robin Mills, CEO of Qamar Energy and Christof Rühl, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University, further pointed out the challenges involved in it. The session was moderated by Kim Kelaita, International Journalist and Moderator.

“We were glad today to discuss prospects for the energy transition, which are more advanced than just the old discussion of whether one can replace oil and gas seamlessly. And of course, we discussed the alternatives and all the things we covered from hydrogen to CCS which are all alternatives, which I think will also play a bigger and bigger role as time goes by,” said Dr. Christof Rühl, Senior Research Scholar, Columbia University.

The panel discussion titled ‘Youth Education and Engagement: Fostering a Generation of Green Economy Leaders’ witnessed a dynamic conversation between the young leadership for fostering a green economy. The session highlighted the significance of incorporating young voices and their ideas to accelerate the efforts to ensure a greener world. The key speakers of the session were Ahlam Bolooki, CEO of Emirates Literature Foundation; Jevanic Henry, Member UN Secretary General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change and AOSIS Fellow – UN and Aysha Mohammad Alremeithi, Youth Council President of DEWA. The moderator of the session was Dr Isabella Bunn, Research Fellow in Governance and Global Ethics, University of Oxford.

The second fireside chat session of the day focused on the theme ‘Empowering the Green Economy Through Outer Space’, which highlighted the key role of space technology in accelerating the transition towards a green economy. During the session, HE Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi, Director General of UAE Space Agency and Dr Ben Caldecott, Founding Director of Spatial Finance Initiative and Director of Sustainable Finance Theme at The Alan Turing Institute, shed light on the ways to leverage satellites and space technologies to boosting green activities. Kim Kelaita, International Journalist and Moderator steered the insightful conversations of the session.

A session titled ‘The Role of Public-Private Partnerships in the Green Energy Transition’ explored the possible ways to leverage Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to meet huge resource and investment requirements in the global energy transition journey. It also highlighted the anticipated challenges in creating robust PPPs and solutions to overcome them. The panel discussion was led by key speakers including Faris Saeed, Chairman and CEO of SEE Holding; Jamie Fergusson, Global Director, Climate Business at IFC; Dr Daniel Esty, Yale Professor and Advisor to the Director General of WTO and Ammar Shihab, Head of Investments and Projects, Enertech Holding Company; and it was moderated by John Defterios, Professor of Practice in Business, NYU Abu Dhabi.

The second day of WGES also witnessed a panel discussion titled ‘Addressing the Challenges for a Green Energy Transition: The Importance of Infrastructure, Reliability and a Skilled Workforce.’ Dr Waleed Al Nuaimi, CEO of Etihad; Ibrahim Al-Zu'bi, CSO of ADNOC and Dr Rigoberto Ariel Yépez-García, Manager, Infrastructure and Energy Department at Inter-American Development Bank, were the key speakers at the session. During the session, the speakers evaluated solutions to overcome the challenges involved in the transition to green energy, such as developing infrastructure, integrating advanced technologies and equipping the workforce with necessary skills. The panel was moderated by Katie Jensen, Dubai One News Anchor.

Furthermore, the summit included a presentation focusing on the theme ‘The Critical Role of Green Economy in Ratcheting up the Climate Action: WGEO’s Activities in COP28.’ The session held by Jerome Auchere, Senior Director of WGEO who shed light on the plans of the organisation for the upcoming COP 28. The host of the session was Naoufer Ramoul, Senior TV Presenter at Dubai Media.

The third fireside chat session was held focusing on the theme, ‘Sectoral highlights: Agriculture and Food Systems, Including Highlighting Food Security in the Region.’ During the session the speakers highlighted the vast advantages and opportunities of green economy transition for agriculture industry, including precision agriculture, eco-friendly-proteins and agroforestry for carbon sequestration and carbon trading. The key speakers of the session were Dr Brent Loken, Global Food Scientist at World Wildlife Fund and Carrie Chan, Co-Founder and CEO of Avant Meats and was moderated by Katie Jensen, Dubai One News Anchor.

Another panel discussion titled ‘Urban Innovation’ was held, during which the speakers evaluated green innovations focusing on the urban spaces. The session highlighted the necessity to make urban spaces environmental-friendly and greener to enhance the well-being of inhabitants. The speakers of the session were Dr Sultan Alshareef, Sustainability Director, New Murabba Development Company (PIF); Dr M. Aya Kiy-Morrocco, Head of ESG, Cognizant Technology Solutions; Mohammed Al Rayees, Head of Waste Strategy and Project Development at Dubai Municipality and Kevin Sullivan, Senior Advisor, Climate Response Advisory at Jacobs. The insightful panel was steered by Dr Isabella Bunn, Research Fellow in Governance and Global Ethics at University of Oxford.

The second day of WGES 2023 also had a capacity building workshop, which was held under the theme ‘Private Sector Readiness for Article 6 of Paris Agreement.’ The workshop, held by WGEO in partnership with the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centre (RCC) for the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, was instrumental in elevating the capabilities of private sector stakeholders to participate in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.  The session was led by Perumal Arumugam, Manager, Intergovernmental Negotiations and Stakeholder Interaction, Mitigation Division at UNFCCC and Umamaheswaran Krishnan, Article 6 and Carbon Pricing Regional Expert, RCC MENA and South Asia.

With transportation sector playing a key role in the journey towards mitigating climate change, the summit held a session focusing on the theme ‘Green Transportation.’ The session highlighted the necessity for facilitating a vast adoption of sustainable mobility options. The expert panel pointed out the role of advanced green technologies in reshaping the future of mobility sector. The speakers of the session were Umberto de Pretto, Secretary General International Road Transportation Union; Dr Oliver Inderwildi, Senior Visiting Scientist and Principal Consultant, University of Cambridge in Singapore; Kim Luu, Head of Global Sustainability and ESG at Onsemi; Nada Jasim, Director of Safety and Risk Regulation and Planning Department at Dubai’s RTA and Ben Scott, Senior Analyst, Carbon Tracker. The panel was moderated by John Defterios, Professor of Practice in Business at NYU Abu Dhabi. 

The final panel discussion of WGES 2023 was titled ‘Building a Sustainable Future: Youth Inclusion in the Path Forward’. Carly Leung, Hong Kong Climate Advocate at COP 27; Ayadi Mishra, Advisory Board, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, United Nations and Kaiwan Taqdees, Advisory Board Member of My Zalu were key speakers of the session, and it was steered by Kim Kelaita, International Journalist and Moderator. During the panel, which featured young leaders driving the environmental efforts, speakers highlighted the necessity of considering young voices and ensuring their participation in the efforts for a green economy transition.