Shorouk Awad (Dubai)
Laila Mustafa Abdel Latif, Head of Growth Strategy in the 25th Asia and Pacific Group, and Director General of the Emirates Nature-WWF, confirmed that the UAE’s hosting of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) is a great opportunity to build a lasting legacy through Driving a greater global ambition for climate action, and negotiating the climate agreement for this decade, it also represents a platform to demonstrate the long years of local environmental work, and build the credibility of the UAE’s commitment to sustainability among the international community.
Laila Abdel Latif indicated that the UAE vision makes a real qualitative change in the strategic areas related to «COP28», such as massive growth and the adoption of renewable energy, and the implementation of nature-based solutions to enhance plans to mitigate the effects of climate change, enhance biodiversity, and provide many benefits. For society, as well as the emergence of new sectors such as financing for adaptation – where local implementation of these initiatives will help drive the global dialogue forward.
And she indicated, in an interview with the “Union”, that the year 2023 will be a decisive year in the decade of climate action, as there is a significant increase in climate interest and ambition in the UAE with the approach of the conference, noting the continuity of the Emirates Nature-WWF in implementing many important plans, programs and projects that enhance The UAE’s sustainability agenda, including nature-based solutions that are in line with the country’s strategy for the COP28 climate conference, and the Emirates Climate Action Alliance, which continues to gain significant momentum for carbon removal in the run-up to the conference and beyond.
Regarding the most important challenges facing the local environment, and the projects and initiatives launched by the association to overcome the challenges, she stressed that the UAE is the same as all countries of the world in facing environmental challenges, most notably the effects of climate change, excessive use of energy, water and food security, and the loss of nature and biodiversity, referring to the work Over the past 22 years, the Emirates Nature-WWF has implemented many initiatives and programs aimed at preserving the environment and reducing the challenges facing the region, in cooperation with government agencies, the private sector and individuals.
nature solutions
Laila Abdel Latif explained that the association’s projects are based on several areas, such as nature, wildlife, green economy, climate action, water and food security, and mobilizing civil society. The nature-based solutions project focuses on protecting, restoring and managing coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, seagrass and salt marshes. , as one of the essential nature-based solutions to enhance climate change mitigation, enhance biodiversity, and deliver benefits to society through the opportunities presented by blended finance to support ecosystem protection, blue carbon, ecotourism, food security and more.
As for the “Emirates Alliance for Climate Action”, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East, it aims to support the achievement of the goals of the UAE’s strategic initiative to achieve climate neutrality, during effective preparations for the Climate Conference “COP28”, with more focus on post-conference projects and activities to ensure effective impact. What is required, and the goals of the alliance include capacity-building and providing the necessary tools to achieve clear goals for climate neutrality, revitalizing the work of the Marrakesh Declaration for global climate action, and involving and cooperating with influential governmental and non-governmental bodies, as well as providing various visions and appropriate solutions by influential non-governmental bodies, to set achievable goals. It is based on scientific research, which will be proposed later to the concerned government agencies to be incorporated into the applied policies. While the “Resilient and Sustainable Communities” project is based on exploring solutions to restore access to fresh water and introducing modern water management techniques, and aims to promote sustainable agriculture and preserve biodiversity by implementing the principles of agroecology.
Sustainability and climate
On the most important plans of the association, during the current year that coincides with the year of sustainability and the UAE’s hosting of COP28, the Director-General of the Emirates Nature-WWF emphasized the continuity in implementing many important plans and projects that promote the sustainability agenda in the country, including nature-based solutions that are in line with the state’s strategy For the Climate Conference, which focuses on addressing the dual relationship between climate and nature, as the world moves towards smart, low-carbon economic diversification, the association looks forward to working with stakeholders to provide solutions, raise capital and bring nature-based solutions into the mainstream; With the aim of accelerating the positive impact of climate, nature and people in the year of «COP28» and beyond, in addition to continuing the work of the «Emirates Climate Action Alliance», which is an accelerator of the race towards zero, the global campaign led by the United Nations high-level climate change champions that mobilizes actors NGO to build momentum around decarbonisation, committing members to halve emissions by 2030.
Asia Pacific
On the most important achievements that have been achieved in expanding the scope of the UAE’s efforts to mitigate the climate change crisis and the challenges of biodiversity, and the developed climate solutions that have been focused on, she explained that the 25th Asia and Pacific Group is: a network of 25 offices of the World Wide Fund for Nature It aims to enable growth and innovation opportunities that enhance conservation outcomes, as well as achieve Zero Extinction that identifies and protects key species from extinction by reversing threats, such as plastic pollution and the ecosystem, and takes the latest scientific approaches to address climate change.
Circular economy
The Director-General of the Emirates Nature-WWF indicated that the most important initiative of the Society is the Circular Economy Council, which began with the signing of a letter of intent for a coalition of a group of government agencies, non-governmental organizations and local and international private sector companies, as it aims to eliminate the problem of plastic waste pollution from packaging materials, and promote Applying the circular economy system, sustainable production and consumption, in addition to the “Change Leaders” initiative, which aims to raise the level of community awareness and provide an opportunity for the public to actively participate in scientific projects.
Providing 30% of the fresh water used for irrigation in Wadi Shis
Regarding the most important achievements of the Emirates Nature-WWF recently, Laila Abdul Latif said: “The association operates within the WWF network, but it is a local Emirati association, and it has an Emirati board of directors, and its projects focus on the environment and local heritage, and at the same time it works with partners at the global level.” , which qualifies it to transfer experiences and knowledge between the UAE and the world, and the association is keen to comply with global strategies to ensure that it achieves an impact at the global level as well, and examples of the achievements include its implementation of the global campaign (Earth Hour) every year within the country, and participation in the global report on the food problem ». . She pointed out that the most important achievements of the association at the local level were the launch of a special strategy to involve young people in COP28 in cooperation with the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, and the success in providing 30% of the fresh water used for irrigation in «Wadi Shis», after training 100% of farmers to use Modern water-saving methods, renovation and rehabilitation of the heritage falaj in the village, and the demarcation of 783 m of coastal habitats to identify places that require official protection on the shores of the northern Emirates, in addition to the joining of 3,000 members so far to the “Change Leaders” program, which is the first digital initiative in the UAE that brings together individuals civil society and unite them towards one goal, which is to work for nature.
Climate adaptation
Laila Abdel Latif stated that the group’s strategy is the most important in climate adaptation and resilience by focusing on nature, and nature-based solutions have been recognized by various agreements as a key strategy to help mitigate and adapt to climate, and this is in line with the COP28 strategy for the UAE The United Nations, where the focus is on the relationship between climate and nature, is also aligned with the national target to protect 30% of biodiversity by 2030, and is recognized as an integral commitment of the UAE Nationally Determined Contributions, where natural ecosystems, particularly ecosystems, are integrated coastal blue carbon as a component of the overall commitments for both climate change mitigation and adaptation, which is a major step forward.
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