The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Energy, the Federal Authority for Competitiveness and Statistics, the Federal Authority for Land and Marine Transport, the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, Sharjah City Municipality, Bee’ah Company-Sharjah, The Environment Protection and Development Authority-Ras Al Khaimah, Waste Management Authority-Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman Municipality, Umm Al Quwain Municipality, Public Works and Services Department-Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah Municipality and Civil Aviation Authority.

The inception meeting started the conversation with stakeholders by discussing the objectives, activities, and expected outcomes of the project. The meeting also highlighted the critical role of stakeholders as partners in the process and the importance of stakeholder collaboration in the data collection process.

Eng. Aisha Al Abdooli, Director of MOCCAE’s Green Development Department, emphasized in her opening remarks the project’s role in helping the UAE achieve a range of development goals: “In addition to achieving our national target on air quality, this project also aligns with other policies such as the National Climate Plan, UAE Green Agenda 2015-2030, UAE Energy Strategy, Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement, as well as emirate-level strategies. In short, this initiative meets local, national, and international objectives.”

The establishment of a national air emissions inventory is expected to provide useful, up-to-date, and comprehensive data on pollutant emissions. MOCCAE noted that maintaining an accurate, reliable, and comprehensive inventory is crucial to inform policies on air quality management going forward. Improving air quality is one of the goals of the UAE Vision 2021, where the National Agenda aims at raising the rate of air quality in the UAE to 90% by 2021.

In collaboration with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the project will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will involve developing a methodology for an air emissions inventory for the UAE based on best practice and stakeholder consensus. The second phase of the project will aim to deliver a full-scale national inventory that covers all major point, line, and area sources.

MOCCAE plans to hold further stakeholder meetings later this year where a draft inventory methodology for the national air emissions inventory project will be presented and discussed.