WBCSD Managing Director Marcel Engel to attend launch ceremony

Regional Leaders in Sustainability attending launch ceremony

Abu Dhabi, UAE, January 15, 2011: The UAE Business Council for Sustainable Development (UAE BCSD) will launch its Vision 2050 Arabia program at the World Future Energy Summit 2012 in Abu Dhabi, it was announced today. The program is the regional adaptation of the Vision 2050 program initiated by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in 2010.

Speaking at the launch of Vision 2050 Arabia will be Marcel Engel, Managing Director, Development Focus Area & Regional Network - WBCSD; Hussain Al Mahmoudi, President - UAE BCSD; and Gus Schellekens, Director, Sustainability and Climate Change, PwC.

"Our collaboration with the WBCSD will encourage the participation of the private sector in the summit and help articulate the critical contribution businesses can make to adopting best practice in sustainability," said Naji El Haddad, Show Director - WFES.

"We are privileged to have the Council's Managing Director Marcel Engel as a plenary speaker, and his involvement further underlines the international standing of the World Future Energy Summit," El Haddad said.

Working with business, government and non-governmental organizations, the WBCSD and the UAE BCSD share best practice, advise on policy making, and place special emphasis on promoting the sustainability agenda in developing countries.

The WBCSD's Vision 2050 study outlines a pathway to enable a global population of 9 billion people to live within the limits of the world's natural resources. Twenty-nine international companies contributed to the research, describing the role businesses must play to realize a sustainable society.

The Vision 2050 was released at the 2010 World CEO Forum in New Delhi. Since then, different chapters of the Council have translated and adapted the Vision 2050 report at the national level.

With the support of the UAE BCSD, which is the regional network partner of the WBCSD, the Vision 2050 Arabia project will enlist Gulf-based businesses in developing a sustainable road map for the private sector in the region. The UAE BCSD's role in the region is to raise awareness and provide business leadership as a catalyst for change toward sustainable development.

"Our partnership with WFES in 2012 will encourage the involvement of our members in the summit, help promote collaboration between businesses more generally in sustainable development, and create real momentum behind the Vision 2050 Arabia project," said Hussain Al Mahmoudi, President of the UAE BCSD.

Van T. Tran, Head of Development at the UAE BCSD, said: "The UAE BCSD  recognizes the pivotal role the World Future Energy Summit plays in bringing together global decision makers to debate and present solutions to our shared energy security and sustainability challenges, and UAE BCSD strongly believes that World Future Energy Summit is the right platform to Launch the Vision 2050 Arabia"

Global advisory firm PwC is supporting the 18-month project through project management, workshop facilitation and expert contributions from their global sustainability team. "PwC is a global member of the world business council for sustainable development and we are hence proud to be a part of this initiative to create a Vision 2050 for sustainability in Arabia," commented Gus Schellekens, Director of Sustainability and Climate Change at PwC UK.

A key challenge for the Vision 2050 Arabia initiative will be to address the specific challenges of the GCC region. "There are so many factors that make this region unique which need to be looked at in its sustainable development. The Vision 2050 Arabia project is a promising initiative for business leaders to get together to determine how these factors can be addressed benefitting their bottom-lines, the communities they operate in and the environment" said Hannes Reinisch, Senior Manager in PwC's Energy and Sustainability team in Abu Dhabi.

Now in its fifth year, the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi is the foremost international gathering aimed at advancing renewable energy, clean technology and energy efficiency - and is increasingly recognized as the main event on the future energy industry calendar.

Altogether, WFES 2012 expects to receive 26,000 attendees from 140 countries, including 3,000 delegates and 650 exhibiting companies from over 30 countries.

To be held under the patronage of H.H General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and hosted by Masdar, the World Future Energy Summit 2012 runs from January 16-19 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

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For more information, contact:
Nitin Nambiar/Reed Diab
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Tel: +9712-6334133
Fax: +9712-6334137
Email: info@asdaa.com

The annual World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi is the world's foremost gathering of communities dedicated to clean and renewable energy, energy efficiency and the environment. Celebrating its fifth year in 2012, it is the leading international event for government and industry decision makers committed to finding viable, sustainable solutions to the world's growing energy challenges.

It is an unparalleled forum for political, business and intellectual debate, and for networking and transactions between manufacturers, suppliers and customers in both the public and private sector.

It is a world-class conference, a large-scale exhibition, and an annual celebration of the winners of Abu Dhabi's Zayed Future Energy Prize, which recognises global achievement in the fields of renewable energy and sustainability.

Hosted by Masdar, Abu Dhabi's long-term investment in the commercial realisation of renewable energy and sustainable technologies, the World Future Energy Summit also features the annual Project Village, roundtable discussions, the Young Future Energy Leaders programme, and various corporate events and social engagements.

To be held under the patronage of H.H General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the World Future Energy Summit 2012 runs from January 16-19 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

© Press Release 2012