A UAE delegation, led by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, has concluded a three-day official visit to the Netherlands.
The delegates explored key topics of mutual interest with Dutch officials, including the use of smart technologies, such as artificial intelligence and precision agriculture to improve the quantity and quality of agricultural production and combat plant pests and diseases.
Other members of the delegation comprised Dr. Kaltham Kayaf, Head of the Animal Health Section at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment; Abdul Nasser Al Shamsi, CEO of Rawafed; Omar Al Jundi, CEO of Badia Farms; and Mohammed Khalfan, General Manager of Al Dahra Holding.
From 26th to 28th June, the delegation met Carola Schouten, Dutch Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality; Sigrid Kaag, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation; Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management; Marcel Beukeboom, Special Envoy for Climate Change; and Reina Buijs, Deputy Director-General for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The delegates explored new areas of cooperation with relevant entities in the Netherlands and exchanged experience in climate change research. Discussions focused on leveraging the latest technologies to collect climate data that can be used to shape strategies and policies.
Dr. Al Zeyoudi highlighted the National Climate Change Plan of the UAE 2017-2050, its vision and project deliverables. The plan garnered high praise from the Dutch officials as an impressive contribution to global efforts in combating the impacts of climate change.
Speaking about the visit, Dr. Al Zeyoudi said, " The UAE enjoys deep-rooted ties with the Netherlands that bind our two nations on multiple fronts. Our visit aimed to build on our strong bilateral relations and identify new opportunities for collaboration. We also sought to share expertise in relevant areas and lay a solid foundation for future partnerships between the private and public sectors in both countries."
As part of the agenda, the delegates toured Deltares an institute for applied research in the field of water, subsurface and infrastructure where they learned about climate change, groundwater and salinity modelling methods used in the Netherlands.
During their visit to the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research and the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, the delegation inspected an integrated system for improving air quality through storing and recycling carbon dioxide for use in diverse sectors.
Moreover, the delegation toured the Wageningen University and Research a world-class educational institution dedicated to life sciences, agriculture and environmental science and received a briefing on the environment-related majors offered at the university.