Dubai, 19th July 2023: Her Excellency Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, witnessed the launch of the 11th National Dialogue for Climate Ambition organised by the Ministry under the slogan ‘Accelerating the Shift; Decarbonizing Ground Mobility’ in collaboration with Emirates Driving Company.
The 11th edition of the dialogue targets the transport sector and enhances its sustainability and participation in reducing carbon emissions in the UAE as part of the Year of Sustainability and before the UAE hosts the Conference of the Parties (COP28) meetings this year. The dialogue also saw 15 new companies joining the Climate Responsible Companies Pledge under the National Dialogue for Climate Ambition initiative.
The event – held at the Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi – was attended by His Excellency Mohammad Saeed Al Nuaimi, the acting undersecretary of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Khaled Al Shamili, CEO of Emirates Driving Company, representatives from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Emirates Driving Company, in addition to more than 120 representatives of major private sector companies operating in various vital sectors, especially the transport sector.
In her speech, Her Excellency Mariam Almheiri affirmed that the UAE is determined to elevate its climate ambition and achieve climate neutrality by 2050 through leading initiatives and projects with the contribution of all federal, governmental, and private sector entities in the country.
Her Excellency pointed out that the transport sector is one of the most important sectors – through enhancing its sustainability – that can contribute to strengthening global climate action. Her Excellency said: “The UAE realises the importance of this sector, which is one of the most targeted sectors to achieve a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030 in the UAE, according to the third version of the second report of nationally determined contributions, the details of which were recently announced.”
She added: “The private sector is a strategic partner for the UAE to achieve a reduction in emissions in various sectors and to work on building a pioneering model for the country’s climate action. The pledge by a new batch of companies to reduce their emissions is an important step to highlight the sector’s seriousness and the country’s concrete steps towards achieving climate neutrality during the Year of Sustainability and before the country hosts the COP28 conference at the end of this year.”
Her Excellency concluded: “Through cooperation, the United Arab Emirates can achieve various vital objectives, among the most important of which is achieving the Net Zero target by 2050 and building a more sustainable and competitive future and a more flexible economy for us and future generations.”
On his part, Khaled Al Shamili said: “With sustainability now firmly embedded in our business model, Emirates Driving Company (EDC) had laid the foundations to become a regional sustainability champion in the coming years. As a next step, we hope to become one of the first corporations to commit to science-based target in support of the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative”.
The 11th National Climate Ambition Dialogue comes within the Year of Sustainability and aims to identify and raise the level of sectoral climate ambition in the country, in line with the targets of the UAE’s strategic initiative to strive for climate neutrality by 2050 and to enhance the UAE’s fulfilment of its commitments to international climate action agreements, at the forefront of which is the Paris Climate Agreement, and to strengthen the contribution of strategic partners and various sectors from government and private entities to achieve these goals.
Pledge
During the event, 15 companies in the manufacturing, cement, waste, transport, finance, and energy sectors in the UAE pledged to implement carbon emission reduction goals and follow more sustainable methods in managing their operations, according to a timeline compatible with the UAE’s national path to climate neutrality by 2050. These companies are thus the seventh batch to join the Climate Responsible Companies’ Pledge of the National Dialogue for Climate Ambition.
In addition to the last signing during the tenth version of the initiative, the total number of companies that have signed the pledge is 105 from various sectors, just before the UAE hosts the COP28 conference in November and December 2023.
The seventh cohort of the Climate Responsible Companies’ Pledge consists of 15 companies: Emirates Driving Company, Emirates NBD Bank, Henkel, Maisaloon Group, Yes Full Circle for recycling solutions, Kuality AI for artificial intelligence solutions, Al Fareeda International Group for Facility Management Services, Daikin and Sustainable Square Consultancy specialising in environmental, social and corporate governance practices.
In addition to Aspen Technology for software solutions, Alstom Group for travel and transport solutions, Lumen At Work for design solutions, Tetra Pak for food processing and packaging services, Bel Group for food production, and Ramboll Middle East, specialising in engineering and architecture.
Memorandum of Understanding
The 11th National Climate Ambition Dialogue witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Emirates Driving Company and CarbonSifr’s. CarbonSifr’s climate-tech collaboration solidifies ED’s commitment to carbon neutrality. Together, they will introduce “Green driving license packages”.
Discussions
The 11th National Climate Ambition Dialogue saw many discussions and workshops on important topics that enable the transport sector in the UAE to reduce carbon emissions and apply sustainable and innovative mechanisms and methods. The dialogue discussed several important visions that could contribute to combating climate change.
The illustrative presentation the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy gave during the event shed light on the national policy for electric vehicles and the green mobility program. Discussions also focused on innovation in mobility, financing the transition to clean and sustainable transport, low-emission vehicles, enabling the infrastructure for sustainable transport, and other topics.
