Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) organised a graduation ceremony for the third batch of the Carbon Ambassadors Programme. DEWA launched this programme DEWA in collaboration with the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence (DCCE) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The ceremony took place at the Palazzo Versace hotel in Dubai.
The programme empowers youth and involves them in sustainable development goals, and develops their skills to become effective in implementing Dubai’s strategies and growth. Partners of the programme supervised teams of delegates and a panel of judges evaluated the projects, to select the best three teams.
The Carbon Ambassadors Programme honoured the first three winning projects, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment ranked first, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) ranked second, Mai Dubai ranked third. The entities who took part in innovative projects were also recognised. These included Emirates National Oil Company Group (ENOC), Dubai Economy, DEWA, and the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia).
“Raising awareness about the need to reduce carbon emissions and the right approach to achieve this reduction is important if we are going to achieve environmental friendliness and sustainably conserve our natural resources. This is one of the main objectives of the UAE Vision 2021. The Carbon Ambassadors Programme plays a major role in achieving this objective,” said HE Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment.
“The Programme is one of the important initiatives that increase the involvement of youth in achieving the objectives and strategies of the UAE and enhancing their innovative and creative skills in environmental conservation by reducing carbon emissions. Carbon emissions are one of the main causes of climate change, and represent the most important challenge that the world is currently facing,” added Al Zeyoudi.
The Minister highlighted that the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment is committed to cooperating with all organisations in the UAE to consolidate efforts to achieve a better future for the next generation. He also commended DEWA’s key role in environmental work.
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, expressed his happiness with the success of the programme for the third consecutive year, with the graduation of 180 ambassadors.
“We work according to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. We are also working to deliver on the objectives of the UAE Centennial 2071 to secure a happy future and a better life for future generations, to make the UAE the best country in the world, as well as the Dubai Plan 2021 to provide the best government services. DEWA adopts an integrated strategy, plans, and innovative frameworks to use the latest technological solutions and systems to serve society to make Dubai a smart, integrated, and connected city that is sustainable with its resources. Today, we are pleased to honour the graduates of the third batch of the Carbon Ambassadors Programme, who have succeeded in their efforts to provide a proud model for responsible citizens who are advancing sustainable development in the UAE,” said Al Tayer.
Al Tayer confirmed that DEWA encourages innovation by providing suitable tools and training programmes to develop knowledge capabilities. DEWA provides all the necessary requirements to ensure the success of the Carbon Ambassadors Programme to instil a culture of sustainability and drive development in the UAE. In addition to training courses, DEWA also provides a range of opportunities to Carbon Ambassadors, enabling them to participate in global conferences and workshops on sustainability.
“The third Carbon Ambassadors Programme presented a range of innovative projects and ideas. Qualified teams made use of the opportunity to participate in global conferences and workshops on sustainability. These conferences include the Conference of the Parties at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the youth workshop on adapting to climate change. These happened in collaboration with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Korean Embassy, and other local, regional and global sustainability events,” said Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA.
The participating teams included teams from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, DEWA, RTA, Dubai Economy, Suqia, ENOC, Mai Dubai and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.