Minister highlights importance of innovation as vehicle for sustainable development

• Governments of Sweden, Switzerland, ABB co-host high-level event at Swedish Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

 Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, today delivered a keynote speech at the ABB Seminar on Innovation and Learning for Sustainable Solutions at the Swedish Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Co-hosted by the Governments of Sweden and Switzerland and the Swedish-Swiss multinational corporation ABB, the high-level event drew the participation of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, along with regional officials and Swiss and Swedish government representatives. These included Her Excellency Anna Hallberg, Sweden's Minister for Foreign Trade and Nordic Affairs, Her Excellency Liselott Andersson, Ambassador of Sweden to the UAE, His Excellency Massimo Baggi, Ambassador of Switzerland to the UAE and Bahrain, and His Excellency Jan Thesleff, Commissioner General at the Committee for Sweden's Participation at Expo 2020 in Dubai.

Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri said: “From climate change and water scarcity to air pollution and waste management, every challenge can be transformed into an innovation-led opportunity that unlocks substantial socio-economic and environmental benefits. However, to realize these benefits, we need to scale innovation ecosystems that involve multiple stakeholders at national, regional, and global levels. Because facing global challenges calls for global action and collaboration, sharing ideas and best practices, and basically learning from each other.”

She added: “We in the UAE believe in the instrumental role of innovation and technology in building a sustainable future. Our country ranks first regionally and 33 rd  out of 132 nations in the Global Innovation Index 2021.”

The Minister said: “We are using innovation to tackle every aspect of the climate crisis. One of the prime examples is the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate or AIM for Climate. This global initiative, led by the UAE and the US, seeks to mobilize investments in agricultural innovation and R&D that are critical to mitigating climate change and feeding the world's growing population. With 35 member countries and four billion US dollars' worth of increased investments to date, AIM for Climate is the kind of bold move we need to leverage innovation on a global scale to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”

She noted that in the fight against climate change, developing and adopting emerging technologies to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency is the determining factor for success.

She said: “In our drive to reach net zero by 2050, we will harness the combined expertise of our academic institutions and major industrial players to create practical innovative solutions that lower the carbon footprint of every sector.”