His Excellency Sheikh “Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan”, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, attended on Monday 18th of January 2016, the opening of the 9th “World Future Energy Summit”, one of the major events of “Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week”, which was attended by his Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, today attended, in the presence of a number of world leaders.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave the keynote address where he stressed the need to turn political will into concrete action in the field of renewable energy and sustainable development within the framework of the international efforts to address climate change, he praised the leading role played by the UAE State in continuing to mobilize political support in the wake of the Paris deal on the climate which was signed in December 2015, saying: “We have a vision, objectives and political will, and we have the opportunity to reduce poverty and address the repercussions of climate change and clean energy is key to the achieve this, sustainable energy, therefore, is the thread that links economic growth and social justice and our efforts to combat climate change, the UAE through “Masdar” is a good example of the practical actions that the public and private sectors need to take, and I congratulate Abu Dhabi on connecting this large number of partners, including world leaders. ”
Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of “Masdar”, said in a welcoming speech: “achieving sustainable development and meeting the worlds’ growing demand for energy cannot be met by one source alone, all energy sources, both traditional and new, must work hand-in-hand,and that is why the UAE leadership has prioritized economic and energy diversification as fundamental pillars to achieving sustainable development.”
His Excellency added: “Today we are before a historic opportunity to make significant progress in achieving the goals of sustainable development and the creation of conditions and economic potential that can drive sustainable development for future generations, through Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week we can begin to build bridges of common action between governments and the private sector to create strong and lasting partnerships to address the sustainable development challenges faced by all countries of the world, so today, we are all required to have the courage, daring and ambition, and invest the historic opportunity of our meeting in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week to concert efforts towards the advancement of the global economy and laying a solid foundation for the sustainable future “.
Participants in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, hosted by Masdar, will discuss how to translate the ambitious goals of the Paris deal and the sustainable development agenda to practical policies, investments and innovative technological solutions with an emphasis on identifying actions that can be implemented by public and private sectors, and will highlight UAE’s leadership in addressing sustainability issues, such as innovation, and water security, it also contributes to the empowerment of Abu Dhabi as an international center for energy and sustainable development.