Abu Dhabi: The UAE and the Republic of Seychelles co-hosted the Second Blue Economy Summit in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations, to promote sustainable ocean development at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).
Dr Thani Ahmad Al Zeyoudi, UAE Permanent Representative to Irena and director of Energy and Climate Change at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighted renewables as a promising solution to minimise climate change impacts on coastal countries and to ensure a sustainable future.
“The positive environment that ADSW provides and the willingness of everyone [here] to work together demonstrates the uniqueness of this event. The beauty of ADSW is that it brings everyone together to go beyond what the Conference of Parties (COP21) did in Paris where we were talking about governments and business,” Dr Al Zeyoudi said.
“Soon, Dubai will launch a tender for an 800 megawatt solar farm and we are entering into the last phase of the $50 million (Dh183.64 million) projects that the UAE has implemented in the Pacific Islands with hopes of investing in the Caribbean next,” Dr Al Zeyoudi said.
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change, said, “As a coastal country, the protection and sustainable use of marine resources and coastal zones are central to our national policies. And just as oceans and seas transcend borders, so do our efforts.
“The UAE, under the guidance of its wise leadership, are supporting small island states by deploying renewable energy and improving their resilience to extreme weather events,” Dr Al Jaber added.
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland, said during the opening ceremony, “The history of my nation, which has for centuries sustained itself on the resources of the ocean, is in many ways a vivid illustration that it is indeed possible to protect marine resources while at the same time building a highly successful and profitable fishing industry.”
The summit included two roundtable discussions highlighting the importance of a sustainable ocean environment to alleviate global poverty, increase food security and reduce ecological scarcities. It concluded with the successful adoption of the Abu Dhabi 2016 Blue Economy Declaration.
