In his opening statement, His Excellency Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, stressed the importance of bolstering partnership between the public and private sectors, in order to achieve the strategic objectives of the UAE’s National Climate Change Plan and the Green Agenda.

Commending the role of national companies in supporting the economic growth of the UAE across all sectors, H.E. Dr. Al Zeyoudi said: “UAE businesses are not waiting. They are leading the charge in deploying innovative technologies, sustainably sourcing resources and finding transformative solutions to tackle climate change.”

H.E. Dr Al Zeyoudi stressed the importance of partnerships, saying “The biggest solutions happen when government, business and civil society come together. This is what the Majlis aims to do. We, as the government, want to provide the right regulatory and legal frameworks, and we want the private sector to provide the best practices and solutions. These partnerships and collaborations are our best bet in meeting the ambitious goals that our leadership has set out for us in Vision 2021.“

The Majlis heard ambitious announcements and initiatives from several companies, including a ground-breaking commitment by Majid Al Futtaim to become net positive by 2040.

At the launch of Majid Al Futtaim’s Net Positive Sustainability Strategy, Alain Bejjani, Chief Executive Officer – Majid Al Futtaim Holding said: “We see it as a moral imperative and core responsibility to our stakeholders to not only set the standard for sustainable development in the region but to continually strive to become one of the most environmentally considerate companies in the world. We are delighted with the progress we have already made in this space but ultimately know our work will not be complete until we have reached a stage where we are giving more back to the environment than we take. It is for this reason why we have set ourselves the ambitious, while realistic target of becoming Net Positive in our carbon emissions and water consumption in less than 25 years. We are extremely proud to be the first company in the Middle East to commit to such a target and hope our action inspires others in the region follow suit.”

In an open dialogue during the meeting, attendees shared their latest initiatives, news and information, and highlighted the important role the private sector plays in supporting environmental projects, reducing carbon emissions, reinforcing the transformation towards a green economy and supporting UAE’s efforts in addressing global climate change.

Concluding the gathering, His Excellency the Minister of Climate Change and Environment discussed with the activities of the Ministry across three key areas of climate, food and waste, and exchanged several suggestions and ideas to improve future collaborations between the Ministry and the private sector.