Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE has launched on Monday a Green Public Procurement (GPP) programme to support the adoption of sustainable procurement practices in the emirate.

The GPP Guidelines would start with government entities and will be applied on a voluntary basis.

"We expect a positive response from government entities, given their involvement in the design phase of the guidelines," Munther Mohammed bin Shekar, Director General of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality said while launching the program.

The GPP launch comes after initial steps undertaken by the emirate's government to procure products and services with low environmental impact.

These include the Environment Protection and Development Authority of Ras Al Khaimah's green fishing ports; RAK Municipality's Barjeel green building regulations, and the Building Retrofits programme, and more recently, green procurement initiated by the Public Service Department for multiple projects.

Bin Shekar noted that the GPP would stimulate the growth of a local eco-system of skilled companies, which will support the economic development of Ras Al Khaimah in the long run.

The GPP programme is an enabler of the Ras Al Khaimah Energy Efficiency and Renewables (EE&R) Strategy 2040, which targets 30 percent energy savings, 20 percent water savings, and 20 percent contribution of electricity from renewable sources by 2040.

The GPP guidelines also include criteria for procurement of frequently purchased product categories, such as paper, furniture, light vehicles, AC, household appliances, carpets, and are designed to be easily adopted in government tenders, RAK Municipality said in a statement.

The Department of Finance of Ras Al Khaimah would operate as programme administrator for GPP and will coordinate implementation of the program across the government.

The GPP program, the statement said, would contribute to the UAE Green Agenda 2030 and National Climate Change Plan 2017-2050 at a federal level, while at an international level, it would support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and subsequently the commitments of the UAE towards the Paris Agreement.

The overall framework outlined in the guidelines also supports Ras Al Khaimah's participation in international reporting initiatives for global carbon emission reduction, as it follows the definitions of the greenhouse gas protocol.

(Writing by Anoop Menon; Editing by Seban Scaria)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

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