Panel discussion discusses Rethinking Infrastructure by incorporating spheres of sustainability: People, Planet, Peace, Prosperity & Partnerships.

“As sectors converge, populations grow and communities change, we need to think more holistically about our infrastructure planning. How we live, work, connect with each other and sustain our scarce resources need to be incorporated into our plans for a sustainable future”, said Habiba Al Mara’shi, Chairperson of Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) in a recent panel discussion. Held at Fairmont The Palm Hotel, the aim of the event was to discuss rethinking Infrastructure by incorporating spheres of sustainability: People, Planet, Peace, Prosperity & Partnerships. The event was organised by EEG, in association with Arabia CSR Network, Emirates Green Building Council and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The event was sponsored by Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA). 

The urban built environment is the major source of global demand for energy and materials and hence is responsible for most of the world’s fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainable Development Goal No.9 talks about developing quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being. The ‘five Ps’—people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership—capture the broad scope of the sustainable development goals agenda. The 17 sustainable goals and 169 targets aim at tackling key systemic barriers to sustainable development such as environmental deterioration, unsustainable consumption and production patterns, inadequate infrastructure and lack of decent jobs among others.

The panel discussion brought to light the importance of incorporating the five P’s of sustainability in remodelling our current infrastructure for moving towards a sustainable future. Participating on the panel was a strong team, with each representing the spheres of sustainability. DNV-GL presented the people part to support economic development by generating job opportunities through infrastructure development. Mr Jon Woodhead, Regional Manager UK of DNV-GL stated “that rethinking the Power Businesses in terms of renewables can provide 24 million jobs by 2030.” Mr Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) spoke about how effective partnerships are crucial in planning and developing infrastructure development, he said, ‘Working with other associations in the industry has proven to be a key success factor in building our capacity building program. Our involvement today serves as a great example of how we can support one another’. A lot of interesting questions from the audience were fielded by the speakers. For example, the relevance of the shared value concept in partnerships, partner selection aspects, role of partnerships in rethinking infrastructure, Artificial Intellignece and the risk of job loss, gender issues in the clean energy industry, challenge of inequality in the context of economic growth, how would connectivity benefit the society, etc. The event concluded with a group discussion session among the audience who represented every sector of the community including- government, corporate, academic entities as well as individuals.

Emirates Environmental Group (EEG): 
EEG is a professional working group established in 1991 devoted to protecting the environment through the means of education, action programs and community involvement. The organization is open to men and women of all nationalities. EEG is actively encouraged and supported by concerned local and federal government agencies. It is the first environmental NGO in the world to be ISO 14001 certified and the only organisation of its kind in the UAE with accredited status to the United Nations Convention to Combating Desertification (UNCCD) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), EEG is the member of the UN Global Compact, the International Union of Conservation for Nature (IUCN) and the GEF-CSO Network. For more information contact us: email: eeg@emirates.net.ae; Tel: 04-3448622; Fax: 04-3448677 and please visit our bi-lingual website: www.eeg-uae.org  

Follow us on FB: eeg.uae; Twitter: eeg_uae; Instagram: EEG_DUBAI

© Press Release 2017