Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week: Accelerating the Green Transition

The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2023 (ADSW 2023) was held in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 14-19 January. This annual event, which brings together heads of state, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, senior policymakers and youth, was established in 2008 under the auspices of the UAE government and Masdar, the country’s renewable-energy-based green city project, to boost sustainability initiatives, further socio-economic and environmental prosperity and bring about actionable solutions to the world’s most pressing issue.  ADSW 2023 stands as the kick-off event for this year’s United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (COP 28), which will be hosted in Dubai in November this year. 

This year’s ADSW was held under the title “United on Climate Action Towards Cop28” and showcased the UAE’s eagerness to accelerate decarbonisation efforts and the green energy transition.  Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and chairman of Masdar, who was recently designated President of COP28, said “There has never been a more critical time for global leaders to come together to advance our collective needs for climate action.”  He further stated that “Through ADSW 2023 and hosting Cop28 later in the year, the UAE is honoured to serve as a meeting place to gather the global community to discuss the issues, partnerships and solutions needed to meaningfully advance net zero in support of a better future for all.” 

This year’s edition of the global forum focused on two main themes: Partnering for action, technology and innovation, people, planet and profit; and the global energy transition. ADSW 2023 also included a dedicated Green Hydrogen Summit. This special event discussed the latest developments in the green hydrogen industry, particularly regarding production, conversion, transport, storage and use.  During the event, ADNOC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Thyssenkrupp Uhde, a German company active in the field of chemical engineering, to jointly develop commercial-scale ammonia cracking facilities, opening yet another market for the hydrogen industry. 

ADSW 2023 also hosted the Youth 4 Sustainability (Y4S) Hub as a platform for empowering young people. Over 3,000 individuals participated in the Y4S Hub supporting ideas and action for increased youth engagement when addressing climate change.  

The event also included the Women in Sustainability, Environment and Renewable Energy (WiSER) Forum which hosted a roundtable discussion on “Empowering Women to Lead Climate Adaptation.” This roundtable raised matters concerning equal access to climate finance for women and means for increasing the participation and leadership of women in realising the green transition.  The keynote speaker of the Forum was Damilola Ogunbiyi, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy spoke of the importance of an inclusive green transition, explaining “If measures are not adopted to increase women’s participation in emerging green occupations, current gender stereotypes are likely to persist, and women will only have access to a fraction of the jobs created. Ensuring women’s full and unfettered participation is a must.”

The European Commission Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, H.E. Frans Timmermans, and the European Commissioner for Energy, H.E. Kadri Simson, both participated in this year’s edition of ADSW. During the visit, Timmermans met with several high-level figures, notably COP28 President-Designate Al Jaber, with whom he discussed the possible cooperation avenues between the EU and the Gulf region to further advance sustainable development and the use of renewables. Following his meetings, Timmermans said, "As president of the next climate COP, the UAE will play a crucial role in shaping the global response to the climate crisis.”  Following the event, UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, declared 2023 the Year of Sustainability in the UAE, stating that “As host of Cop28, we are committed to fulfilling our role as a global convener and will continue to support action and innovation in the field of sustainability.”