The World Green Economy Summit (WGES) 2021, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, began today in the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Organised by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and the World Green Economy Organization, the summit’s first day featured 30 high-profile speakers, including former presidents and prime ministers, and business leaders of multinationals.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA and Chairman of WGES, delivered his remarks to formally welcome all attendees to the 7th Summit. Al Tayer was followed by HE Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, who gave the opening address.

An opening video was played before an interview with former French President François Hollande, who also delivered a keynote address on the ‘The Green Climate Fund, climate financing and progress since COP21. Mary Robinson, Chair of The Elders, former UN Special Envoy on Climate Change and former President of Ireland, graced the event as well to talk about ‘Climate Justice for Future Generations.’ The first plenary panel discussion entitled ‘Road to COP26’, started with top-level officials including Aminath Shauna, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Technology of the Republic of Maldives; Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness & the Environment, Antigua and Barbuda; Martha Delgado, Deputy Minister for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of Mexico; Ahmad Buti Al Muhairbi, Secretary General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy; and Ovais Sarmad, Assistant Secretary General, United Nations and Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat.

Shauna pointed out that Maldives is among the countries most affected by coastal erosion due to climate change and sea level rise. Shauna further emphasised the need to mobilise global efforts to face climate challenges in Maldives and worldwide.

Joseph called on those who are responsible for increasing the emissions to take responsibility for nations affected by pollution and climate change.

Al Muhairbi pointed out that several renewable energy projects were implemented in the GCC to preserve energy resources and move towards fulfilling our commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Sarmad stated that to make sure that the upcoming climate summit in Glasgow will achieve its objectives. Everyone must raise their ambition and allocate up to USD 100 billion to support the nations affected by climate change.

The second plenary panel focused on ‘The Coming Green Infrastructure Boom’ where guest speakers and participants examined the key challenges and opportunities in designing and building the green finance process. They also tackled various ways to position the GCC towards a green infrastructure and enable it to optimise the benefits arising from this growth.

The speakers included Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director General of Digital Dubai;Gennaro Migliore, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean; and James Grabert, Global Head of the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centres and Director of Mitigation Division at the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat. Joining them were Nasser Hamad Abu Shehab, Chief Executive Officer – Strategy and Corporate Governance for Mobility at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority; and Alexandra Palt, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer and Executive Vice President of the L’Oréal Foundation.

The WGES also featured a fireside chat to talk about the crucial role of youth in combating climate change in the Middle East. The Arab Youth Council for Climate Change (AYCCC) represented the youth sector in the discussions that saw the council sharing its plans to ramp up the participation of the young people in climate change mitigation and development of climate priorities and policies ahead of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28).

Sharing their insights during the session were Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, UAE; and HRH Princess Abze Djigma, Special Envoy of the President for Resource Mobilisation for SDGs and Climate Change, Burkina Faso.

Moreover, Fredrick Reinfeldt, former Prime Minister of Sweden, delivered a keynote address titled ‘Global insight: Learnings from Sweden’s sustainable energy transformation.’ His speech was followed by the second plenary panel discussion on ‘Building back to NetZero: New Technology, Green Economy and Policies.’ During this session, the participants discussed how to rethink, build, and prepare for a net-zero emission future. Additionally, they discussed the role of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and digital revolution in reshaping the business operations of different major sectors. The panellists were Xavier Anglada, Managing Director, Accenture Middle East; Ibrahim Al Zu’bi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Majid Al Futtaim; and Philippe Diez, Vice President EMEA, Energy & Sustainability Services, Schneider Electric.

Day one also included a fireside chat with Finn Mortensen, Executive Director, State of Green, a non-profit partnership between Denmark and four leading business organisations. The State of Green was established as part of Denmark’s preparations for the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. During the chat, Mortensen spoke about Danish Climate Partnerships and how these could provide a model for other countries in terms of implementing similar collaborations.

A fireside chat on ‘Green Economy and Policies – Financing Africa’s sustainable energy future’ was featured as well. The session focused on the importance of financing green technology adoption in Africa. Furthermore, it highlighted the role of renewable energy and small power grids in addressing growing energy demand, especially in the sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in bridging gaps in cost and environmental impact. Among the speakers were Daniel Hanna, Global Head, Sustainable Finance, Standard Chartered Bank; and Richard Muyung, Head of Environment and Climate Change, Tanzania National Electric Company, Ministry of Energy, Tanzania.

Day one concluded with hybrid live and virtual open forums in which key takeaways were discussed, and questions were addressed. The speakers of the live sessions talked with attendees in the conference hall, while the speakers of the virtual sessions answered the questions and comments of the online participants.

The 7th WGES will resume its discussions on its second and last day on Thursday, 7 October, 2021. Day two will feature a host of activities, dialogue sessions, and keynote speeches. It will put the spotlight on pressing themes and urgent issues, including climate change, sustainable finance, audit and regulatory policies in a green economy framework, disclosure of environmental, social, and corporate governance data, food sustainability and food security, sustainable business, and green technology and infrastructure