The Directorate of Energy and Climate Change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Drives Dialogue on Sustainability at 2016 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

Saturday 23 January 2016

Abu Dhabi - MENA Herald: The Directorate of Energy and Climate Change at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) was a key participant at the 2016 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), one of the world’s largest gatherings on sustainability, which concluded on January 23. The Directorate played an instrumental role in promoting sustainable development, clean energy initiatives, encouraging public-private partnerships to drive energy innovation and strengthening bilateral ties with international partners.

“Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week reinforces the UAE’s role as an international hub for advancing sustainable development and energy access across global markets,” said H.E. Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Permanent Representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Director of Energy and Climate Change at MoFA. “The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015 made this year’s conference even more impactful as it convened global leaders to begin turning political agreements into practical action.”

The Directorate helped to organize major events throughout ADSW, including the first Abu Dhabi Global Action Day, an international forum to drive forward next steps in addressing climate change following the adoption of the Paris Agreement. Other events included Mission Innovation and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) meetings, both of which are initiatives to advance clean energy innovation and were launched at the Paris climate conference in December 2015.

Further supporting international collaboration, the Directorate played a key role in establishing formal partnerships with Mexico to enhance cooperation on clean energy and climate change initiatives. The Directorate also partnered with the Republic of Seychelles and UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission to co-host the Second Blue Economy Summit to promote sustainable ocean development.

“Our participation in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week was extremely successful thanks to our local, regional and global partners,” said H.E. Dr. Al Zeyoudi. “The Directorate is a major force in the UAE’s sustainability efforts and we will continue to share our knowledge and expertise to address the world’s growing energy needs, mitigate the impacts of climate change and advance innovative solutions.”

The Directorate co-hosted several other events with key organizers including IRENA, the Renewable Industry Advisory Board (RIAB) of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Abu Dhabi Development Fund, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, among others.

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