In a strategic step to strengthen the UAE’s management within the world environmental agenda and promote nature-based options, the Ministry of Local weather Change and Atmosphere (MOCCAE) held the second version of the Nature Guardians Majlis – Authorities Sector Council. The occasion gathered distinguished officers and decision-makers from varied authorities entities.
This Majlis is a part of the UAE’s efforts to host and lead the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi. The second version builds on the success of the inaugural Majlis, which was not too long ago held in New York in the course of the United Nations Common Meeting (UNGA80). On the occasion, the UAE’s formidable imaginative and prescient for sustainability was offered to world leaders.
The Majlis, held yesterday in Dubai, goals to realize a metamorphosis in governmental approaches—shifting from treating nature conservation as a separate precedence to completely integrating it into the center of the nation’s complete growth course of. The purpose is to place nature as a driver of financial development and a cornerstone of societal prosperity, whereas empowering youth and the broader group as important companions on this journey.
The council was attended by HE Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, UAE Minister of Local weather Change and Atmosphere, HE Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary-Common of the Atmosphere Company – Abu Dhabi and IUCN Councillor for the West Asia Area, HE Ali Ahmed Ali Abughazayain, Chairman of the Sharjah Fish Assets Authority; HE Assilah Abdullah Ali Maala Al-Hashimi, Director Common of the Fujairah Atmosphere; and HE Ahmed Ismail Al Hashemi, Government Director of the Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector on the Atmosphere Company – Abu Dhabi.
Moreover, the attendees included representatives from various authorities and establishments involved with the setting and wildlife within the nation, with the participation of representatives from the Ajman Municipality and Planning Division, the Zoo and Aquarium Public Establishment in Al Ain – Al Ain Zoo (ZAPIA), and the Dibba Municipality.
Her Excellency Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, UAE Minister of Local weather Change and Atmosphere, mentioned that the Majlis lays the muse for a brand new part of built-in nationwide motion. HE mentioned: “Our assembly right this moment within the Nature Guardians Majlis signifies a profound turning level in our developmental method, extending past making ready for the convention. We’re transitioning from a give attention to nature safety to actively enabling nature as the first driver of sustainable growth throughout the nation’s essential sectors. This necessitates real group partnership in each shaping and implementing our aims, a cornerstone of the Emirati mannequin we’re creating and showcasing globally. Our heritage underpins our imaginative and prescient to ascertain pure capital as essentially the most precious asset in our economic system. We’re dedicated to leveraging nature-based options because the principal engine of innovation for meals and water safety, facilitating our inexperienced financial transition, fostering sustainable cities, and enhancing general high quality of life.”
Her Excellency added: “Underneath the steerage of our management, we now have reworked nature conservation from an environmental obligation right into a main driver of our economic system and livelihoods – a imaginative and prescient we proudly current to the world. This imaginative and prescient is realised by means of a complete governmental framework and real group partnership. Our strategic dialogue fosters full cross-sector cooperation, unifying our efforts as one staff towards a typical aim. We design insurance policies with the group, not for it. Empowering our youth, group members, and native establishments just isn’t optionally available, it’s the solely technique to flip our ambitions into a long-lasting legacy. We purpose to showcase a mannequin the place nature and humanity thrive collectively sooner or later.”
Three Dialogue Rounds Forge Unified Nationwide Roadmap
The dialoguewithin the Majlis was structured as a complete strategic journey. It started with an evaluation of the present scenario and a forward-looking exploration of the longer term. This part aimed to establish the important coverage shifts and governmental mechanisms required to boost integration and speed up progress, in addition to the important thing obstacles that wanted to be overcome.
Constructing on this basis, the second spherical of discussions centered on sensible instruments. Specifically, it underlined nature-based options as a strategic instrument to deal with local weather challenges and strengthen environmental resilience. Moreover, it aimed to set priorities for the efficient enlargement and administration of the community of protected areas.
The ultimate spherical centred round shaping the UAE’s formidable nationwide dedication to be offered on the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, and on figuring out tangible initiatives and partnerships that might translate this dedication into a long-lasting, sustainable legacy.
Key Outcomes Reinforcing Management and Shaping a Nature-Constructive Future
1. Establishing a legislative and environmental framework to help a nature-positive economic system: The contributors agreed that the subsequent part includes extra than simply updating current legal guidelines; it requires creating a versatile and modern legislative ecosystem that serves because the coverage infrastructure for fostering a nature-positive economic system. This can embody creating laws that encourages funding in pure capital, accelerates the adoption of nature-based options, safeguards the nation’s organic safety, and expands the community of protected areas in a measured method, remodeling these areas into residing laboratories for environmental innovation.
2. Integrating nature as a basic criterion in all growth tasks: Emphasis was positioned on the necessity to promote “nature-positive” tasks. This includes creating clear mechanisms and requirements to make sure that all future growth and infrastructure tasks -ranging from sustainable city planning to fashionable agricultural practices – are designed from the outset to boost pure capital reasonably than deplete it. This precept will probably be an integral a part of the planning and financing processes of all nationwide tasks.
3. Activating a participatory governance mannequin to empower native authorities and communities: The Majlis emphasised that the success of the nationwide imaginative and prescient relies on participatory governance that grants a central function to native authorities, similar to municipalities and environmental companies, in implementation and shut monitoring. This ensures that insurance policies are translated into tangible outcomes. It was additionally highlighted that partaking communities, youth, and stakeholders from each the private and non-private sectors ought to transcend mere session. Mechanisms have to be established to make sure these events actively take part in designing, monitoring, and executing initiatives. This method will be sure that options are grounded in actuality and sustainable in the long run.
4. Harnessing innovation and synthetic intelligence for nature conservation: The Majlis underscored that innovation is a cornerstone of attaining the nationwide imaginative and prescient, with synthetic intelligence on the core of those initiatives. Know-how is not going to solely function a supporting software, however because the analytical and strategic engine for understanding and defending the nation’s distinctive ecosystems.
The contributors agreed on the need for important funding in predictive AI fashions, which must be supported by built-in nationwide databases and the digitisation of environmental monitoring processes. This method goals to supply proactive insights into ecosystem well being. These superior applied sciences may also radically enhance the effectivity of pure useful resource administration, reinforcing the UAE’s place as a world hub for information and modern options, in addition to a number one supply of pioneering fashions in making use of innovation and AI to preserve and improve nature.
5. Nationwide consensus on showcasing the Emirati mannequin and main the worldwide dialogue: The Majlis concluded with unanimous settlement among the many contributors on the strategic significance of highlighting the UAE’s achievements as a novel, nature-centred growth mannequin. They affirmed that the upcoming part will witness higher integration of efforts to doc these successes and current them to the world, not solely as inspiring tales however as sensible, scalable options that stability financial development with environmental safety. This unified imaginative and prescient goals to empower the UAE to steer a constructive and influential world dialogue in the course of the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, additional strengthening its function as a key associate in shaping a sustainable future, the place nature drives prosperity and well-being.