Dubai Municipality, a Strategic Pathway Partner at COP28, is offering visitors at the event a glimpse into the emirate’s future, which includes a set of new projects designed to make the city one of the world’s most sustainable.
Through workshops, presentations, and dialogue sessions, Dubai Municipality’s stand in the Green Zone is introducing guests to innovative projects being deployed in Dubai. These include a new way of assessing and certifying buildings for sustainability and projects to transform waste into energy.
During the 13-day conference, Dubai Municipality is hosting workshops exploring themes such as how technologies including AI can be utilised to design smart cities, how space satellites can be used in urban development, 3D printing in construction, and food waste reduction.
On 3rd December, Dubai Municipality held its first educational workshop, "Dubai International Best Practices Award: In the lights of Sustainable Development Goals", where Dr Fernanda Landardoni from United Nations Habitat delivered a presentation on how Dubai Municipality encourages sustainability best practices.
On 4th December, Dubai Municipality will host a presentation explaining the pioneering "Al Sa’fat Dubai Green Building Regulation", which promotes and regulates sustainable building. Dubai Municipality will then give the stage to two waste plant partners as part of their drive to promote Public-private partnerships for sustainable initiatives.
The CEO of Hitachi Zosen Inova will deliver a presentation titled "Waste to X: The Plant of the Future", which will look at the future of waste treatment in line with the principles of the circular economy. BESIX Group ME’s General Manager will unveil the company’s approach to environmental stewardship in "Strategic energy transition with Besix".
In alignment with COP28’s drive to give voice to youth, Dubai Municipality has partnered with Al Mawakeb School. On 5 December, the school will launch their book "Dunes of Diversity: A Tapestry of the UAE Life" on the Dubai Municipality stage. The book showcases short stories written by students, and during the launch, students will read extracts. In a second session, pupils aged between 12 and 17 will present their "green" projects and inventions to a Dubai Municipality’s jury in a "shark tank-style" workshop.
The "Green STPs Workshop" will showcase projects transitioning Dubai Municipality assets into sustainable infrastructure. These projects include waste to energy, biogas utilisation, hydrogen, solar energy and biosolids management.
On the same day, Dubai Municipality will mark the 13th edition of the Dubai International Award for Best Practices for Sustainable Development, organised in collaboration with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. The awards recognise and promote best practices in sustainable development.
Technology will be the main theme on 6th December. A session titled "Modern Method of Construction" will expose the most recent technologies for sustainable building. Then, Dubai Municipality will present how the Dubai Geospatial Digital Twin can help the city reduce emissions, particularly in the context of construction.
Another session will introduce DMSAT-1, a nanosatellite designed to perform multi-spectral observations, providing a wide range of groundbreaking environmental data essential for environmental research and studies. A session titled "3D Concrete Printing in Dubai" will focus on the use of 3D printing in construction and how it can reduce costs, energy consumption, and emissions.
On the Energy Transition COP28 stage, in partnership with Dubai Holding, Dubai Municipality presents a session entitled "Public-Private Partnerships Advancing Sustainable Solutions". This panel explores the role of public-private partnerships in promoting climate action and waste reduction, using the Warsan Waste Management Centre (WWMC) as a prime illustration of innovative and strategic solutions to sustainability challenges.
The "Dubai Conscious Buildings Initiative: Towards Net Zero" will take place at the COP28 Knowledge Stage. During this session, the municipality will introduce Dubai’s conscious buildings initiative, a pioneering, innovative, and sustainable construction method. The main objective of this workshop is to align stakeholders with policymakers to facilitate sustainable green awareness in the construction sector.
Back at the Dubai Municipality Stand stage on 7th December, pupils and faculty of Al Mawakeb School will engage in a dialogue on the role of heritage in global sustainability, emphasising the importance of inclusivity and youth engagement in driving meaningful change.
"Dubai Climate Change Adaptation Strategy" will present the guidelines and actions designed to reduce the risks posed by climate change, increase the resilience of human and natural systems, and understand future opportunities.
Dubai Municipality will then present its mangrove planting project.
The Director of Waste Strategy at Dubai Municipality will then highlight the city’s integrated waste management strategy detailing a structured roadmap to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2041.
TEDx speaker Ivana B. Ogbu, sustainability specialist, former UN consultant, speaker and author, will present a talk on 8th December titled "Localisation of the SDGs for Sustainable Cities: Harnessing the Power of the Education Sector".
On the same day, there will also be sessions titled "Climate-Responsive Iconic Architecture", "Dubai weather early warning system", and "Green Talks", organised by the Youth Council, which discuss the impact of climate change on sewage and waste. Finally, students from several local and international universities in the UAE will showcase some innovative sustainability projects they have developed in fields including construction.
These are the first 33 talks, presentations and workshops organised by Dubai Municipality for the COP28 event.