The Ministry of Environment and Water pavilion gathered during its participation at the International Water Summit which was held from January 20 to 22, 2014 a huge audience comprising public visitors, ministers, ambassadors, and representatives of international authorities and organizations.
Visitors to the pavilion included the former President of the Dominican Republic, Antonio Lionel Fernandez; the former Prime Minister of Korea; the UAE Minister of State and CEO of Masdar, H.E. Dr. Sultan Bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber; and H.E. the Minister of Environment, Water and Atmosphere of the Republic of Zimbabwe. Representatives from the Swiss, Spanish, and Dutch embassies, Germany, and the Global Green Growth Institute also visited the pavilion. Other attendees included international companies and state entities involved in the environmental, water and energy domains. The Ministry sought to strengthen partnerships with several organizations visiting the pavilion and signed many agreements on relevant issues.
Engineer Aisha Al Abdouli, Acting Undersecretary for Environmental Affairs at the Ministry of Environment and Water, said that the Ministry participated in the Summit meeting of the Sustainable Cities International Network which reviewed the waste control and energy-to-waste policies and legislations of the network’s members. The ministry particularly focused on the role of waste control and key points for inclusion in new waste-control legislation currently under development, Al Abdouli added.
It is worth noting that the ministry successfully disseminated the integrated efforts of the United Arab Emirates to preserve the environment and local natural resources through its participation in the Summit. It outlined the UAE's environmental efforts since its establishment in 1971, noting the international conventions and protocols signed by the state and included in its national commitments. The ministry also revealed the entities it has formed to follow up on the implementation of such commitments in the UAE along with supporting environmental laws and legislations. The Ministry highlighted all the initiatives it has adopted in order to achieve its vision of preserving a sustainable environment as well.
Amongst the initiatives launched by the Ministry is the Ecological Footprint project which highlights the ministry's efforts to protect the environment through the adoption of projects for reducing the ecological footprint of the UAE. The UAE is the third country in the world to undertake such an initiative, which helped reduce the domestic ecological footprint from 11.8 hectares per capita in 2006 to 8.4 in 2012.