● Her Highness Sheikha Dr. Shamma Mohammad Khaled Al Nahyan shared insights on  the Role Of Public Benefit Associations In Environmental and Climate Action

● The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), together with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), announced the launch of the UAE National Adaptation Plan Roadmap, a groundbreaking strategy driven by science to address climate challenges

● The UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MOEI) shared targets to implement  strategic planning towards the build and transportation environment 

● As part of a UAE Real Estate Leaders Roundtable, MOCCAE ), together with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MOEI) in alliance with the Emirates Green Building Council, stressed the importance of the National Demand Supply Management Program.

Dubai, UAE – 7 December 2023: During a series of high-level events hosted by the UAE Pavilion at COP28 on 6 December 2023, conversations focused on accelerating ambition and action on urbanization and sustainable built environment and transport initiatives to transform urban spaces and take progressive steps towards smart and sustainable transport systems that will help achieve Net Zero goals.

Key launch events and dialogues at the UAE Pavilion at COP28 on 6 December 2023 included:

● The Role Of Public Benefit Associations In Environmental and Climate Action,

A keynote address by  Her Highness Sheikha Dr. Shamma Mohammad Khaled Al Nahyan evaluated communication approaches to improve community response to climate change. In an initiative to make the planet ‘Green, Blue, Permanent’, Her Highness, through the Shamma Mohammad Environmental Education Program, launched an Environmentally Distinguished House Initiative to target 1,200 homes in 2023 and honor the best in sorting waste and rationing water and electricity consumption in addition to working with schools on environmental awareness and making recommendations for sustainable living.

● Launch of the UAE National Adaption Plan Roadmap: An Imperative to Strengthening the UAE’s Climate Change Adaptation Actions

Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Commissioner-General of the UAE Pavilions at the COP28, announced the launch of the UAE National Adaptation Plan (NAP) roadmap, an ambitious plan to enhance the country’s ability to address climate challenges, in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). The NAP will work to reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience in the face of a changing climate and is driven by science, building on five decades of initiatives and climate knowledge, aligning national policy with government action to ensure state readiness for climate-related changes and extreme events, and including unique solutions for all societal groups

● A panel discussion on National Demand Side Management In Building and Transportation focused on efforts by the  UAE Ministry Of Energy and Infrastructure (MOEI) towards the built environment and shared details of the launch of the Global EV Market. The project supports the objectives of the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative, drives the circular economy and will reduce the carbon footprint of the transport sector. Milestones will include an increase in electric vehicle charging stations from 360 to 914 by the end of 2023, investment in EV service stations and an increase in EVs to 50% of total vehicles on UAE roads by 2050, along with the establishment of the first EV battery-recycling facility in the region and charging stations at borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia to facilitate movement.

● At a UAE Real Estate Leaders Roundtable, Her Excellency Razan Al Mubarak, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28, guided a discussion on the collective effort of the UAE’s biggest developers within the hospitality and financial industries towards reducing emissions by 2030. The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), together with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MOEI) and in alliance with the Emirates Green Building Council and the Climate Champions Team have implemented The National Demand Supply Management Program, part of the National Energy Strategy 2050, which targets the three most energy-consuming sectors in the UAE: transport, industry and construction and aims to reduce energy demand by 40% and water use by 50% by 2050. The program includes the launch of the Green Building Code as a mandatory standard in new buildings across the UAE, predicted to contribute energy savings of up to 80% by the year 2030. 

● Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) shared details of its Net Zero Emissions Public Transportation 2050 strategy, aligning with local and global environmental goals to transition to a zero-emission network. The strategy includes three pillars of sustainable transportation, infrastructure and waste management, and is supported by progressive targets leading up to a 2040 milestone for all RTA transportation to be electric or hybrid then advancing to  a completely zero-emission fleet by 2050. This strategy intends to reduce the  environmental impact by the equivalent of 2.1million vehicles per year and operational costs by AED3.3 billion by 2050.

● The Launch of Women in Nuclear Middle East Chapter, announced by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, provides a network for female nuclear engineers across the globe and a mentoring platform through which to expand on experience. The Middle East Chapter is the first of its kind, reflecting the UAE’s commitment to the growing number of female nuclear professionals working to power the clean energy transition. 

● Other major conversations included highlighting the Abu Dhabi Climate Change Strategy, Sharjah’s Airport Carbon Accreditation, Fujairah’s  Initiative To Treat Oil Waste and Reuse It As Low Carbon Products and the Ras Al Khaimah Green Mobility Strategy 2040.

In parallel with the significant announcements, commitments and progressive dialogues at the UAE Pavilion at COP28, the dynamic Actionists Hub, located as part of the UAE presentations in  the Green Zone, hosted a diverse program of initiatives and thought-provoking sessions and talks including a session on Bio Planning at the scale of city by architect and innovator Dror Benshetrit from Supernature Labs, together with visionary designer and author Bruce Mau, explored the opportunity to  to follow nature’s lead in urban planning and architectural design; a Changemaker Majlis: City 2050: Designing Sustainable Cities on the principles that should guide sustainable urban planning; and Road 2.0 - Actioning Commercial Road Transport Decarbonization, presented by the UAE Alliance For Climate Action (UACA), a domestic initiative supported by the Emirates Nature WWF (ENWWF) to encourage non-state actors to accelerate their transition towards zero emission vehicles.