Statement of UAE Ministry of Environment and Water on 18th National Environment Day

ABU DHABI, 4th February, 2015 (WAM) - Dr. Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, confirmed that the strong commitment and continuous support of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Supreme Council Members, Their Highnesses Rulers of the Emirates, in preserving and developing the environment, have had a deep impact on the preservation of the environment as seen today across the public and private sectors; also on maximising the value of the environmental dimension within all our developmental plans and further improving our global position. In a statement on occasion of the 18th National Environment Day, Bin Fahad expressed his deepest thanks and gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa for sponsoring this occasion which falls today (4th of February, 2015) under the theme ‘The Green Economy: Innovation and Sustainability’. Bin Fahad added that the UAE National Environment Day is an important national occasion to recall the environmental monuments of the environment and development man, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE; a man who inspired us by his inimitable vision towards building a prosperous and sustainable future for present and future generations. He continued, "The event’s theme connecting Green Economy with Innovation underlines the importance of innovation in implementing this approach. The green economy is an innovative concept whose success largely depends on the use of innovative tools, practices and solutions to overcome the world’s growing environmental and economic challenges. The reliance of economic development on conventional means and the traditional methods of work as in the past decades have only led to creating more environmental and economic crises. The attempts made by the international community since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED – Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil more than 20 years ago to harmonise between environment and development, have not yet achieved the desired expectations. As so, the UAE’s adoption of the Green Economy concept as part of the UAE Green Growth Strategy and in line with the UAE Vision 2021, represents a new approach towards bringing environment and development into harmony and building a robust, stable, sustainable and environmentally friendly economy as well as establish a platform that supports economic growth by leveraging on the leading and innovative tools and policies which the UAE adopted few years ago across various developmental segments such as energy, water, transportation, environment and urban planning. He added "The announcement of 2015 as the Year of Innovation by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, and the launch of the National Innovation Strategy by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, in October 2014 reflect how the UAE gives serious consideration to the subject of innovation and creativity, and at the same time represent a key driver for the national efforts towards the transformation into a green economy. Nonetheless, the UAE ranking first worldwide for stimulating innovation in the economy according to the 2015 Edelman Trust Barometer is a vital indicator of the promising opportunities we offer to facilitate and speed up efforts to transform our national economy into a green and sustainable economy through the use of current and future innovative technology tools and practices. Bin Fahad explained that the UAE has already come a long way in setting the right ambiance to shift to a green economy, pointing out to the relevant annual conferences which the Ministry of Environment and Water has been organising since 2008, in addition to the leading policies and innovative options which the country adopted in the past years such as renewable energy, clean energy, green building, cleaner production, sustainable transportation, efficient use of resources and many more. He also pointed out to the country’s effective contributions to support the international efforts for promotion of this approach, having hosted the First Global Conference on UN Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) in March 2014 in Dubai in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other UN specialised agencies. The country also launched the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Regional Office. These efforts and policies formed a strong foundation to confidently move forward with the implementation of the green economy approach. The Minister also talked about that the 2015 UAE State of Green Economy Report which was issued last month during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and documents the country’s progress towards transformation into a green economy in line with the UAE Green Growth Strategy. The report provides a clear image of this approach and its pivotal role in driving sustainable development, also pointing out to the important steps that the country’s public and private sectors have made in this regards to lift the UAE’s leading international position which is highly evident through benchmarking based on the objective performance indicators used in the report. Bin Fahad added that the Ministry of Environment and Water has worked throughout the past two years in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and in consultation with relevant entities from both the public and private sectors, to set up the necessary plans to implement the UAE Green Growth Strategy. The Ministry set up the Green Agenda which offers an integrated framework to shift to a green economy. The Agenda focuses on five main guidelines that were determined based on the directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa during his speech in the occasion of the 17th National Environment Day, as well as on the objectives of the UAE Green Growth Strategy and the National Agenda of the UAE Vision 2021 and on the results of the economic, social and environmental studies which were conducted as part of this agenda. The guidelines are competitive knowledge economy, social development and quality of life, sustainable environment and value of natural resources, clean energy and climate change, and green life and optimal use of resources. In addition to all that, the Agenda also suggests a variety of national programs to help achieve these strategic guidelines across the different economic and developmental sectors. The Agenda further includes a framework for the necessary performance indicators to measure the progress of local transformation into a greener economy, and which were determined by taking into consideration the most important international references and reports of industry-related international organisations. Bin Fahad concluded his statement by emphasising the importance of joining national efforts to implement the UAE Green Growth Strategy and optimise its role in reaching the objectives of sustainable development as the cornerstone of the UAE Vision 2021. Bin Fahad finally commended the extensive efforts made by all relevant entities in the UAE to protect the environment and manage all environmental systems and natural resources in order to maintain a greener economy for the present and future generations. – Emirates News Agency, WAM