Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, led a UAE delegation on a visit to the Egyptian capital, Cairo to participate in the 30th session of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE), held on the sidelines of the 20th session of the Joint Committee on Environment and Development in the Arab Region.
In his address to the Council, Dr Al Zeyoudi invited his counterparts to join him at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2019, set to run in the UAE capital in January next year, to explore the latest technologies in environment protection and sustainability.
He said: "Since inception, the UAE has prioritized environment preservation, as outlined in the core objectives of the UAE Vision 2021. Our environmental efforts over the course of four decades have led to the integration of the concept of sustainability in key development plans, whether devised by the public or the private sector."
Dr Al Zeyoudi added: "Known for setting ambitious targets, the UAE developed its Energy Strategy 2050 in 2017, with the aim of increasing the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix to 50 percent by 2050 and reducing the nation’s carbon footprint by 70 percent."
Furthermore, Dr Al Zeyoudi highlighted the UAE’s notable achievements in conserving local biodiversity, such as increasing the number of internationally acclaimed protected areas on an ongoing basis, and enhancing the marine environment through restoring mangrove areas and installing artificial habitats along the country’s coasts.
In addition, he drew upon the examples of the National Integrated Waste Management Project, which leverages modern technologies to collect, sort, treat and recycle waste, and the waste-energy plant that was announced in October 2018.
Arab ministers participating at the 30th session of CAMRE provided an overview of the progress made by their respective countries in implementing economic and social development decisions and examined the environmental dimension of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). They also discussed the initial draft of the green belts in the Arab world in addition to showcasing how their countries are moving forward in climate change action.
Other topics on the session’s agenda included the implementation of international environmental conventions pertaining to protected areas, desertification, biodiversity, climate change, and chemicals and hazardous waste.
Furthermore, the CAMRE session highlighted success stories from the Arab world in driving forward the green economy.
The 30th session of CAMRE assumed special significance as it took place shortly before the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to be held in December in Poland.