27 October 2015
· DED, Dubai FDI and Dubai Green Economy Partnership unveil the online portal dedicated to green products and services

· Emirates Islamic lends support to the Green Deal initiative

Dubai: The Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai in partnership with the Dubai Green Economy Partnership (Dubai GEP) and Dubai Investment Development Agency (Dubai FDI), an agency of DED, launched the 'Green Deal' online portal today, with a major focus on encouraging residents to adopt green products.

The initiative is supported by Emirates Islamic, a leading Islamic bank in the UAE, which will provide financial mechanisms for consumers to buy and sell energy products and services online.

His Excellency Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of DED; His Excellency Ahmad Butti Al Muhairbi, Chairman of Dubai GEP and Secretary General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and Mr. Fahad Al Gergawi, Secretary General of Dubai GEP and CEO of Dubai FDI, unveiled the Green Deal website showcasing the ease of accessing and purchasing energy and water products and services through the website in the UAE.

Speaking on the occasion Al Qamzi said: "A clear and cohesive green policy will make the UAE a healthier and more sustainable country to live in. The Green Deal will reach the end users and decision makers, who will help in achieving the goal of transforming Dubai and the UAE in to a green economy. The initiative is a new strategy to shape the next era of sustainability."

Green Deal is a market place, which allows users to view and purchase a series of pre-verified energy and water consumption products and services. The initiative is part of DED's strategy to drive stronger participation from Dubai residents in evolving into a green city.  Crowd-sourcing will allow for economies of scale to extend economic benefits to end users, while ensuring that proper due diligence and a fast track approach facilitate adopters of new initiatives within Dubai' strategic vision for a green economy.

His Excellency Ahmad Buti Al Muhairbi said, "The Green Deal initiative is the best way to mitigate the rising energy and water consumption in UAE homes. The collective platform will allow users to view and buy pre-verified energy and water consumption products and services, with ease."

 "Green deal is an energy efficiency measure that will maintain the trajectory to sustainable living. The online market place will facilitate adoption of green technologies and products amongst UAE residents. Internationally and nationally, crowd sourcing has been gaining immense popularity. Through the green deal website, we will provide a hassle free alternative for UAE residents, boosting a quicker adoption of green products in the region and inviting numerous new providers to the marketplace." commented Fahad Al Gergawi.

Dubai GEP is the first multi-stakeholder and cross sector partnership to promote the transition to a green and low-carbon economy in the Middle East. The programmes and initiatives of Dubai GEP aim to enable the growth of green trade and investment and accelerate the adoption of green technologies, products and services across regional and global markets.

-Ends-

About Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence
The Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence was launched by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2011 as a public-private partnership to fast-track clean energy project development in the last years of the Kyoto Protocol.

The Centre is the first body of its kind in the region and aims to leverage Dubai's economic potential in carbon through the Clean Development Mechanism and other best practices. The DCCE is a key component of the Supreme Council's efforts to develop a sustainable-energy economy for Dubai and plans to offset several million metric tons of carbon annually by selling carbon credits on the international market.

Dubai Carbon conceptualises, manages, executes and monetises greenhouse gas reduction measures. By doing so, it addresses climate change and promotes sustainable development across the region in an economically viable way. The Emirate of Dubai is becoming a low carbon economy and Dubai Carbon is both the enabler and knowledge repository of this process.

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© Press Release 2015