Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, the United Arab Emirates, represented by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and in collaboration with the UAE’s Central Bank, is hosting the UN Environment Program Finance Initiative’s 14th Global Roundtable event for the first time in the region on 25-26 October 2016 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai.
The event will bring together leaders from all parts of the financial system, as well as from civil society, academia, government, and the United Nations, to discuss how to achieve the ambitious climate goals set under last year’s two major global commitments to tackle climate change and promote sustainable development: the Paris Climate Agreement and the launch of the new Sustainable Development Goals.
H.E. Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi said, “We are very pleased to host this important event, at a crucial time for both the finance industry and our world’s environment. It is now clear that the ambitious climate goals agreed at Paris will only be delivered upon if the finance industry is fully engaged. The United Arab Emirates is taking a leading role in the transformation to a sustainable economy with our initiatives such as UAE Green Agenda 2015 -2030, and we are pleased to be continuing this discussion with global financial leaders at the UNEP FI’s 14th Global Roundtable.”
This global event on sustainable finance will ask and answer some of the most pressing questions facing the finance sector today, such as, what are the emerging leading-edge business opportunities, how policy and technology innovations are changing the future of sustainable finance, how to better quantify emerging environmental and social risks, and how to upscale green Islamic finance.
UN Environment Program Finance Initiative Head, Eric Usher said, “We are seeing increasing momentum in the drive to create global financial systems and institutions that are resilient to climate change, and financial services companies that are building sustainable development into their core business strategy. But there is still much work to be done. This region is serious about leading the move towards a green economy and we are looking forward to discussing in Dubai how we move the sustainable finance agenda forward both here and around the globe.”
Keynote speaker H.E. Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment and H. E. Mubarak Rashed Al Mansoori, Central Bank Governor will be joined by some of the world’s largest financial services companies such as Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Allianz, AXA, HSBC, ING, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, and Société Générale. Other speakers will include Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Former Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, Saker Nusseibeh, CEO, Hermes Investment Management and Christian Thimann, Global Head of Strategy, Sustainability and Public Affairs, AXA Group, Paris. Stock exchanges, governments and regulators from around the globe will also be represented.