The Dubai Land Department announces the “Dubai Sustainable Cities Summit”

Under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

- Dubai-led Global platform on sustainability in the built environment
- Summit to be attended by 350 guests from local, regional and global governments and organisations
- Summit aims at bolstering economic, social and environmental relations and support less developed countries
- Summit to host a number of local, regional and global thought leaders on sustainability

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 25 October – The Dubai Land Department (DLD) has announced the “Dubai Sustainable Cities Summit”, a new global platform led by Dubai under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, to discuss and showcase best global practice in sustainability for the built environment.

The Summit is organized by the Real Estate Investment Management and Promotion Center, the DLD’s investment arm, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and is set to take place on December 17th in the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai. The invite-only summit will be attended by 350 VIP guests representing a number of organisations and government entities from the UAE, the region and the world.

Commenting on this announcement, His Excellency Sultan Butti Bin Mejren, Director General, DLD, said “We are honored by the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to this major event taking place in Dubai which asserts our capabilities in the field of sustainability in the built environment. Organising and hosting this event is further proof of Dubai’s global position of leadership. We hope the outcomes of the summit and the declarations signed will contribute to the advancement and development of all the cities in the UAE and the Arab world, especially in the face of current challenges.”

Her Excellency Majida Ali Rashid, Assistand Director General of DLD and Head of the Investment Management and Promotion Centre, said that “The Dubai Sustainability Summit is a unique global event that presents the perfect platform to discuss and showcase the best global practices in sustainability for the built environment and the future of smart sustainable cities, in line with the vision and plans of Dubai and the UAE. The summit will explore how technology, education, integration, employment and measurement can be utilised to accelerate and measure the success of sustainable strategies across the Arab world.”

The “Dubai Sustainable Summit” defines sustainable cities through a number of strategic goals including access to affordable and safe housing, safe, sustainable and affordable public transport, improved safety, sustainable urbanisation, strengthening efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage, and limiting the negative impact of cities on the environment.

The Summit will place a particular focus on the eleventh United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) which relates to sustainable smart Cities. This includes ten objectives that cover issues being addressed through the Summit’s agenda. Key themes for the Summit reflect the main influencing factors that combine to accelerate efficiency and sustainability for the built environment.

The Summit is the result of a unique and strategic partnership the DLD has established with UNEP at a time when the UAE and the Government of Dubai are committed to develop, execute and measure the success of sustainable strategies in line with the “UAE Vision 2021”, “Dubai Plan 2021” and “EXPO 2020”, as the nation’s population and its cities have grown exponentially over the past decade, placing greater demands on infrastructure and resources and accelerating the need for all sectors of the community – government, businesses and citizens – to adopt more sustainable behaviour.

In line with its commitment to these plans and as another outcome of the strategic partnership, the DLD and UNEP have launched the “Centre of Resource Efficient and Sustainable Cities in the Arab region – Middle East and North Africa” in Dubai. The Summit provides the ideal platform to inaugurate the centre and affirm the UAE’s commitment towards developing and implementing sustainable strategies that would benefit the Arab world. The centre will act as UNEP’s hub to build local, national and regional capacity for resource efficient policies. It sets out to develop and deliver strategies, tools and support for sustainable cities in the Arab region.

The agenda of the summit aims to create a narrative that explains how Dubai and other regional cities can create more sustainable environments. Design, technology, integration, behaviour and measurement provide the framework for keynote speeches and panel debates presented by talented and inspirational speakers drawn from around the world and the region to kick start the dialogue on the concept of sustainable cities and inspire new ideas. Event speakers include government ministers, the UN, design and sustainability experts.

Speakers at the event include Her Excellency Majida Ali Rashid, natural science writer and founder of Biomimicry 3.8, Janine Benyus who will present a keynote on the important design lessons that can be learned from nature and American futurist and writer Alex Steffen will speak about the crucial role sustainable cities will play in the future of the planet.

Other notable experts include Fahd Al-Rasheed, Group CEO & Managing Director, King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia and Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, among others.

The Dubai Sustainable Cities Summit will be the first event of its kind to follow on from the major UN conference on climate change, COP 21 in Paris, which will take place in December. The regional leadership from UNEP will provide insights on how the outcomes of COP21, with particular regard to the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), will impact on the Gulf region.