AFED had strong presence at the First Global Conference on the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE). The event convened in Dubai on 4-5 March, with the participation of 600 delegates from 66 countries, including 27 ministers of environment, finance, industry, labor and trade. AFED Executives and associates who were speakers and panelists included Secretary General Najib Saab, Board member Khaled Irani, lead author of AFED's Arab Green Economy report Hussein Abaza, and president of Development Alternatives Ashok Khosla.

 

Saab and Khosla were speakers at a special panel organized by Green Growth Knowledge Platform. They stressed that in most cases data is available, but decision makers fail to realize the urgency and act on it. Saab explained how AFED reports are helping relay the right messages to the public and policy makers alike, with specific contents relevant to the country and the region. Some success stories were cited, including the drive in many Arab countries to phase out subsidies on energy and water, the water strategy in Abu Dhabi, policies which attracted private sector investments in renewable energy projects jin Morocco and Jordan, and the energy efficiency program in Saudi Arabia. AFED reports were praised by delegates as model initiative, providing credible data, analysis, recommendations and options, which had been widely used to formulate policies. Saab and Khosla stressed the need to support research and multidisciplinary education, rather than restricting funding to collate incomplete data. Saab pointed 3 priority research fields for the Arab region: water, energy and food production.

 

The UAE minister of Environment and Water Rashed Bin Fahad, who was chairman of the conference, concluded with a summary of the discussions, saying that the transition to green economy is an imperative decision not a mere option. He added: "There is growing sense of urgency to change the current development model and pursue low-carbon, socially inclusive and resource efficient development model that improves human wellbeing and values natural capital."

 

AFED announced that its next report, which will be on Food Security, will be released in an international conference in Amman, Jordan, on 26-27 November 2014.