UAE wins bid to host World Conservation Congress of International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2025 in Abu Dhabi

UAE has won the bid to host the World Conservation Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2025 in Abu Dhabi. The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) submitted the bid on behalf of Abu Dhabi and the UAE government.

The results were announced on 25 May, following approval of the IUCN’s bid evaluation committee recommendations to the IUCN Governing Council at its meeting held in Gland, Switzerland from 23-25 May 2023. The IUCN Council is chaired by the president and consists of elected members from across all the regions as well as a Chair of Commissions and is the body responsible for the oversight and general control of all IUCN affairs.

The successful bid to host the IUCN World Conservation Congress in 2025 further reaffirms the UAE and its leadership’s commitment to environmental conservation, climate change action and sustainability. Abu Dhabi continues to be at the forefront of nature conservation by building strong relations with key international environmental organisations such as the IUCN. The agency’s Managing Director, Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, is the current President of the IUCN, while EAD’s Secretary General, Her Excellency Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, is a Global Councillor.

Accelerating Climate Research Solutions: Abu Dhabi’s Environment Agency Unveils ADERN

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) announces the official launch of ADERN (Abu Dhabi Environmental Research Network), a community of research scientists, research institutions and allied innovators. Designed and facilitated by EAD, ADERN aims to convene research and development experts around the scientific knowledge gaps facing stakeholders in their efforts to sustain and continuously enhance the environment of the Emirate.

With a focus on addressing environmental challenges, ADERN will play a vital role in advancing the understanding and implementation of sustainability in Abu Dhabi.  Recognising the urgency of the climate agenda and the inseparable connection between climate, biodiversity loss and pollution, ADERN will address the climate science-policy agenda by leveraging research resources toward inter-disciplinary multi-sectoral collaboration.

To support the research efforts of ADERN, EAD has developed the Abu Dhabi Environmental Research Needs Register, an extensive list of over 200 research requirements. An Environmental Knowledge Graph System – a world first innovation has been developed to analyse and communicate cause-effect relationships between humans and the environment and the impact of a changed environment on human well-being.  EAD’s enviroportal contains data from its 25 years of research. An Environmental Research Directory will catalogue the hundreds of environmental researchers and allied innovators, also research facilities, research projects and events.  Collectively these tools will help stakeholders make science-based decisions that address the environmental challenges faced by the Emirate.

Eight universities have joined ADERN as founding institutional members. These include Abu Dhabi University, Al Ain University, American University of Sharjah, Khalifa University, NYU Abu Dhabi, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), and Zayed University.

In line with Year of Sustainability and in partnership with The National Aquarium,

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi Has Rescued 178 Turtles Since August 2022

81 Turtles Released to Celebrate World Sea Turtle Day

In line with the Year of Sustainability that focuses on the sustainable enhancement of natural habitats and biodiversity and minimising the effects of climate change, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), in partnership with The National Aquarium (TNA), released 81 turtles back into their natural habitat at Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas in celebration of the World Sea Turtle Day on June 16^th.

The turtles were released by His Excellency Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi and EAD Board Member, Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of EAD, His Excellency Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General of Tourism at Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), Dr. Mohammed Salman Al Hammadi, Undersecretary of the Biodiversity and Marine Life Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), Mr. Manuel Rabaté,  Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi as well as members of the community.

As part of the Sustainability Awards of Capital Finance International,

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi Was Recognised as Best Regional Environment Agency

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) was recently named the Best Regional Environmental Agency in the Middle East and Africa in 2023 at Capital Finance International’s (CFI) Sustainability Awards. The Agency was recognised for its long history in executing regional first and large-scale projects in environmental conservation and is the first environmental agency in the Middle East to win this award since its launch in 2012.

The Agency, long acknowledged as the largest environmental regulator in the Middle East, was awarded for a series of projects, including species re-introduction, marine restoration, air and marine water quality monitoring, climate change action, management of groundwater and soil, research and outreach programmes, as well as youth engagement, and many others. Another factor was EAD’s oversight for the permitting and assessment of facilities in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, which has witnessed a significant rise in compliance in the industrial sector.

Fostering Technological Progress: Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and du Unite for Digital Sustainability

In line with the Year of Sustainability, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a pioneering partnership aimed at harnessing the latest technologies to enhance over 20 long-running and highly effective sustainability initiatives. This alliance provides comprehensive support for the implementation of the initiatives aimed at raising environmental awareness and supporting individuals to adopt sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.

This MOU establishes a clear framework to coordinate understanding and cooperation between the two parties to help them achieve combined goals of enhancing environmental communication and awareness efforts that will extend to millions of people, especially regarding the issue of climate change.