ENGIE, worldwide provider of energy solutions, and the leading independent power and water developer/operator in the GCC countries, is the proud co-sponsor – through the ENGIE Foundation – of the 13th Meeting of the Conference of Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP13).
Under the theme ‘Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future’, this conference is being held from 21 to 29 October 2018 in Dubai. The UAE is the first Arab country to host the Conference in this very important year 2018, which marks the 100th birth year of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE and a visionary conservation leader.
Speaking at the opening session on 22 October 2018, Florence Fontani, EVP Strategy, Communications and Environmental & Social Responsibility of ENGIE Middle East, South & Central Asia and Turkey said, “As a global energy player, ENGIE’s activities have an impact on local ecosystems and biodiversity, and we engage with our local stakeholders to support their sustainability approaches. Our sponsorship of Ramsar COP13 in Dubai is a contribution to the efforts of the global and regional community to protect vital ecosystems and preserve their biodiversity.”
Highlighting the crucial importance of wetlands, the theme for this year’s COP13 is “Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future”. As a global leader in energy solutions, ENGIE’s ambition is to drive the urban transformation with solutions for greener, healthier and more efficient communities. Therefore it made a lot of sense for ENGIE to accept the invitation of His Excellency Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change & Environment of the UAE, to become a sponsor of the Ramsar COP 13, focused on urban challenges and the role of wetlands.
The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental environmental treaty established in 1971. The treaty provides for national action and international cooperation regarding the conservation of wetlands and wide sustainable use of their resources. It includes 170 parties and 2,323 Ramsar sites that cover a total surface of 248,503,054 ha. Wetlands are indispensable for the countless ecosystem services that they offer, ranging from freshwater supply, food and building materials, and biodiversity, to flood control, groundwater recharge, and climate change mitigation.
In 2007, the UAE joined 168 other countries in ratifying the Ramsar Convention. Since then, eight protected areas that account for nearly 35,000 hectares of the UAE have been designated as wetlands of international importance.