Abu Dhabi: The UAE Alliance for Climate Action (UACA), a leading non-state actor programme spearheaded by Emirates Nature-WWF and supported by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), recently gathered senior leaders for its Third Advisory Committee meeting. The session aimed to assess progress and outline the programme's 2025 initiatives, while also welcoming the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) as a new committee member.
According to Emirates News Agency, Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Managing Director of the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, chaired the meeting. She emphasized the significance of collective climate action, highlighting the role of non-state actors, including private sector companies, in achieving the UAE's climate objectives. Al Mubarak encouraged more organizations to join UACA to foster innovative solutions for substantial emissions reductions nationwide.
The Advisory Committee includes prominent figures from various sectors such as government, finance, industry, academia, and the environment. Notable members are Laila Mostafa Abdullatif, Director-General of Emirates Nature-WWF; Dr. Alanoud Alhaj Al Ali from MOCCAE; Mohamed Al Marzooqi, CEO of HSBC UAE; and Eng. Sharif Al Olama from MoEI, among others.
A focal point of the meeting was the Road2.0 initiative, designed to drive the decarbonisation of commercial transport in the UAE. The initiative's notable achievement is the Electric Vehicle (EV) Demand Declaration, signed by 17 entities, which aims to enhance commercial EV adoption and deploy 20,000 Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) by 2040.
Eng. Sharif Al Olama highlighted the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure's commitment to advancing green mobility by supporting sustainable transport policies and enhancing EV infrastructure. The ministry's UAEV venture aims to establish a nationwide EV charging network. Al Olama underscored the importance of government-private sector collaboration in laying the groundwork for a robust domestic EV ecosystem.
Mohamed Al Marzooqi, CEO of HSBC UAE, noted the critical role of engaging diverse leaders to achieve the UAE's net-zero target. As a founding donor of UACA, HSBC UAE plays a key role in facilitating stakeholder collaboration to address emission challenges and explore local solutions.
Laila Abdullatif praised UACA as a credible platform for non-state actors to boost climate ambition. In its third year, UACA now includes 55 participants working to set science-based targets aligned with the Paris Agreement. The alliance's strategic pillars focus on building decarbonisation readiness and advocating for supportive policies.
UACA continues to urge non-state actors to join the alliance and enhance decarbonisation efforts across the UAE.