DEWA sponsors first Emirati student to Lima Climate Change Conference in Peru

Dubai, UAE; 22 December 2014: Bader Al Hammadi, an Emirati student, Carbon Ambassadors Programme member, has participated in the United Nations COP20 Climate Change conference in Lima, Peru. The conference was part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The 10th session of the Conference of the Parties was held with expectations for another urgent agreement to supplement the Kyoto Protocol. The UN will seek to achieve a binding agreement to be presented at the COP21 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris. The agreement serves as a global commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid any future scenarios that could pose threats to human development. The UAE’s participation supports its efforts to prepare and train the next generation of environmental sustainability and carbon emission reduction experts.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) supports Al Hammadi’s mission as helps achieve its strategy to build and enhance the skills and capabilities of young Emiratis through various scholarship and training programmes.

“The Carbon Ambassador Programme, which DEWA supports and sponsors, was launched to meet the expectations and directives of our wise leadership to promote a green economy. It engages young people in the sustainable development efforts and builds the skills and capabilities of tomorrow’s leaders. By building the capabilities of the next generation and providing them with sustainability-related knowledge and skills, and enhancing their interest, they will want to work in this field. We are preparing the next generation of experts in carbon-emission reduction,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
HE Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Director of Energy and Climate Change at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted the Ministry’s support of the initiative. He noted that the student was chosen to be in the UAE official delegation led by the Energy and Climate Change department at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was a supporting partner of the programme. He emphasised that this was the beginning of various training activities for selected students in the department’s activities in 2015.

Al Hammadi participated in the Climate Change Conference sessions, and sent daily updates from the conference to his colleagues about the negotiations and the experiences he acquired. He covered the conference live on social media channels including Facebook (Carbon Ambassador Programme) and Instagram (Bader Al Hammadi) using the hashtag #CAP2014. The head of the UAE delegation assigned Bader to participate in certain sessions and prepare reports and present them to the team during their daily meetings in Lima.

Bader witnessed the negotiations of the parties for the draft resolution of the Durban Platform and for an amended draft for the 2015 agreement negotiations. He also participated in workshops that discussed market-based mechanisms, such as the future of carbon credit framework and other activities including the speech by Christina Figueres, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, who talked about the appropriate national mitigation actions.
“It was my first experience in international negotiations and diplomacy. I have noticed that the parties often deliberate one sentence and leave it for further discussions without taking a decision. However, everyone was excited. We could see how important it meant for them to reach an agreement on climate change. After my graduation next year, I want to be part of these efforts and contribute to the negotiations in 2015, where the world will decide the future of the generation I belong to,” said Bader

The 20th session of the Conference of the Parties and the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol were held from 1-12 December in Lima, Peru.