Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), the global platform for accelerating sustainable development, hosted by Masdar, concluded on Thursday with a resounding global commitment to deliver a green recovery in 2021. From January 18 to 21, ADSW took place in a reimagined virtual setting and attracted more than 100,000 views across its online platforms from 175 countries, reiterating its importance as the annual global sustainability event that sets the agenda for the year.
ADSW comprised high-level virtual events: ADSW Summit, which took place in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council; IRENA’s 11th Assembly; Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum; Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum; Youth 4 Sustainability Virtual Forum;and World Future Energy Summit Back to Business Webinar Series.
The ADSW speaker program featured more than500global leaders and decision-makers from policy, industry and technology, including: H.E. Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Special Envoy for Climate Change, and Chairman of Masdar;H.R.H, Charles, The Prince of Wales; H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco, Head of State, Principality of Monaco; António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group CEO, Mubadala Investment Company; Rt. Hon. Alok Sharma MP, COP26 President; Laurence Fink, Chairman and CEO, BlackRock; Bernard Looney, CEO, BP; Brian Moynihan, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Bank of America; and Mark Carney, Finance Adviser to the UK Prime Minister for COP 26 and UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance.
These global leaders spoke across ADSW’s high-level event platforms, each designed to focus on different elements of the global sustainability agenda.
The International Renewable Energy Agency held its11thIRENA Assembly, which brought together heads of state, government, ministers and energy decision-makers to discuss the global energy transition and the further adoption of renewable technologies.
The flagship ADSW Summit featured more than 90 global leaders from around the world and ran over three sessions focusing on the pillars of “Live & Move,” “Care & Engage,” and “Work & Invest,” with each pillar exploring social, economic and technological opportunities for delivering a green recovery.
The third edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum hosted by Abu Dhabi Global Market was held under the theme ‘Financing Sustainable Recovery and Future Resilience’ and highlighted the importance of a sustainable and equitable approach to rebuild the global economy.
The Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum and World Future Energy Summit Webinars highlighted the opportunities for advancing the energy transition and race to net zero.
Masdar’s Youth 4 Sustainability Virtual Forum was led by members of the global youth community and explored ways for young people to play an active role in the implementation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the UAE’s 50-year Development Plan.The forum covered topics across leadership and sustainability, skills and future of work, and innovation challenges including the Ecothon Pitch, which was supported by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Energy, Khalifa Fund and The Catalyst, a venture fund in partnership with Masdar City and BP.
ADSW 2021 also featured The Global Innovation Award, which is organized on behalf of the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, named Cambrian Innovation from the US the overall winner of Award.
The week welcomed several commercial announcements relating to the adoption and development of hydrogen in the UAE. Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and ADQ announced the signing of an MoU to establish the Abu Dhabi Hydrogen Alliance (the Alliance), with the view to establish Abu Dhabi as a trusted leader of low-carbon green and blue hydrogen in emerging international markets.
Building on the Alliance, Masdar, the world’s leading renewable energy companies, announced it would join forces with Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa Group, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Siemens Energy, and Marubeni Corporation, in an initiative designed to support the development of the green hydrogen economy in Abu Dhabi.The initiative aims to establish a demonstrator plant at Masdar City.
Building on the 2020 Abraham Accords, Masdar also signed a strategic agreement with French group EDF Renewables to explore renewable energy opportunities in Israel and support the country’s clean-energy objectives.Israel is targeting 30 percent of its energy coming from renewable sources by 2030, up from a previous target of 17 percent, as it looks to phase out coal use. Achieving the new target will require an additional 15 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity being developed over the period.
Masdar also released during ADSW its 2020 Annual Sustainability Report, which revealed it had more than doubled its clean energy capacity in the last two years, generating enough electricity to power over four million homes.
For over a decade, Abu Dhabi has provided a sustainable platform for the global community that has grown through its initiatives and events to emerge as a thought leader and catalyst that accelerates sustainable development around the world.
As a manifestation of the UAE’s proactive, forward thinking approach to sustainability and mitigating the impact of climate change, ADSW is committed to the sharing of knowledge, implementation of strategies and the delivery of real-world solutions. As the first global event in the UAE’s Golden Jubilee year, ADSW provides a global platform to set the sustainability agenda for the year and help deliver the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.