Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) and the Italian Trust Fund signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop green economic solutions in the Arab region. This comes under the CEO Platform for Green Growth, a program initiated and supported by the Italian Ministry of Environment.
The agreement was signed by Head of the Italian Trust Fund Stefania Romano, and AFED Secretary General Najib Saab, during a ceremony hosted by the Italian Pavilion at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi. The event was attended by Giorgio Starace, Ambassador of Italy to UAE, Dr. Thani Al-Zeyoudi, Head of the Directorate of Energy and Climate Change at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Permanent Representative to IRENA, and Roula Majdalani, Director of Sustainable Development and Productivity Division at UN-ESCWA.
Ambassador Starace stressed the importance of cooperation between Italy and its partners across the Arab region, to ensure sound resource management leading to sustainable future for all. Dr. Al Zeyoudi highlighted UAE commitment to advance Green Growth agenda and conveyed support to the initiative, commending AFED as the right regional partner which played pioneering role to advance green economy policies.
Romano underscored the importance of the agreement for mobilizing greener economy policies and practices across the region, through partnerships and concrete actions, involving the business community and decision makers. Saab explained that the accord will help bringing together the business community around a corporate environmental responsibility growth agenda. He noted that there could not have been a place better than the UAE to launch such an initiative, as it was the first country in the region to adopt a green economy strategy.
The CEO Platform, in collaboration with AFED, will engage business leaders in the Arab world to drive progressive green economy agenda and to contribute to the global policy discussions, paving the way to a more predictable investment environment which can achieve sustainable growth.
AFED participated in events of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, including the Fourth Annual Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) and International Water Summit (IWS). In a keynote speech at IWS, Secretary General Najib Saab said experience has found that free water is wasted water, and artificially low prices and heavy subsidies to water services are the root of inefficiency, overuse, excessive pollution and environmental degradation. He urged applying efficiency tools and demand management measures to reduce waste.