Dubai, UAE, 20 October 2015

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has organised an induction session for the 2nd Carbon Ambassadors Programme (CAP) 2015-2016, today at the InterContinental hotel in Dubai's Festival City. Strategic partners including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), DP World, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Police, Mai Dubai, UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia), Arabian Automobiles, and ILX also attended the event.

The Carbon Ambassadors Programme is a youth engagement programme in environment and sustainability-related issues, such as green buildings, climate change, green economy, and environmental awareness. DEWA has doubled the number of students in the second batch of CAP 2015-2016 to 80 students. DEWA supports the programme by familiarising students with events, training courses, and workshops in climate change and other related domains.

"To support the Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to establish the UAE as one of the global leaders in sustainable development, and a global hub for exporting and re-exporting green technologies, while maintaining a sustainable environment that supports economic growth in the long run, and also supports the Dubai Plan 2021 to make Dubai a global centre for environmental sustainability and green economy, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman for the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, attended the graduation ceremony for the first batch of the Carbon Ambassadors Programme last April. Today we continue this success story by involving the largest number of partners to achieve the purpose of this ambitious programme. DEWA has invited partners, selected trainees, other government organisations, and university students to participate in this programme," said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

"The Carbon Ambassadors Programme invites university students to engage in voluntary work to raise awareness about sustainable development among UAE nationals, and provide training opportunities for future leaders," explained Al Tayer.

"We have doubled the number of students in the second batch of the Programme for 2015 to 2016 to 80 students. We are cooperating closely with partners to support the Carbon Ambassadors Programme by training its students about the concepts of sustainability, project management, carbon emissions reductions and how to apply these concepts in their graduation projects. Our partners sponsored and developed the retro-fitting of shipping containers to encourage environmental sustainability, and our partners will provide news ideas for future graduation projects," added Al Tayer.

"The first batch of Carbon Ambassadors demonstrated creativity amongst the next generation. We also saw innovative ideas in the second batch, which confirms the ability of the youth of this nation to take on leadership positions and consolidate the foundations of sustainable development. We encourage this next batch to be an active part of the sustainable future of Dubai, and develop innovative concepts on renewable energy. Energy is one of the basic elements of sustainable development and positive environment that encourages and promotes cooperation and innovation. It is also a key factor that supported the winning bid of Expo 2020. We are keen to establish the concept of sustainable environment, which is instrumental for the overall development of the UAE, and to contributes as much as possible to shaping a greener future for our nation and the world," concluded Al Tayer.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs consistently seeks to embrace and support national initiatives, especially those relating to National Capacity-Building and qualifying UAE Nationals to enhance their role in supporting the development process," said HE Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Permanent Representative of the UAE to IRENA and Director of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

"The strategic partnership between MOFA and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority in supporting the Carbon Ambassadors Programme is not limited to providing training opportunities and consulting but goes beyond by working on refining the skills of a number of trainees through active participation in national and international events that DECC organises and participates in."

"The best proof of our efforts in this area is the participation of one of the members of the Carbon Ambassadors Programme in COP20 on Climate Change, which was held in Lima, the capital of the Republic of Peru in 2014. We will also offer this year the opportunity for a number of trainees to attend the meetings of COP21 in Paris to engage young people in an effort to build and strengthen the necessary skills and capabilities for the leaders of tomorrow," added Dr. Al Zeyoudi.

"DEWA launched the Carbon Ambassadors Programme in cooperation with the UNDP to work on international initiatives and steer the business environment in Dubai towards climate change, while enhancing partnerships between the public and private sectors and providing these sectors with international expertise," said Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, EVP of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA.

"This induction session marks the beginning of the second Carbon Ambassadors Programme. We are acting as consultants by providing training for participants," said Waleed Salman, Chairman of the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence.

The events included an induction session for strategic partners and trainees with detailed information about the programme. This was followed by a presentation on CAP for partners and trainees.

The event concluded with a presentation by partners who will later sponsor one of the ideas for graduation projects.

-Ends-

For more information, please contact:
Ribal Dayekh or Noora Khoory                
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority        
+9714 515 1784                
ribal.dayekh@dewa.gov.ae                     
noora.khoory@dewa.gov.ae

© Press Release 2015