Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the financial hub for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA), will host the first edition of the ‘Future Sustainability Forum’ later this year.
The DIFC Future Sustainability Forum, taking place on 4 and 5 October 2023, will focus on mobilising sustainable finance and innovation by connecting industry leaders, investors, tech disruptors, and policymakers, and channel investment flows between the global north and global south, to accelerate climate action.
The announcement comes as the DIFC continues to play a significant role in advancing COP28 priorities, aligned with the DIFC’s chairmanship of the Dubai Sustainable Finance Working Group (DSFWG), established in 2019.
Ultimately, the forum looks to offer a platform to explore future sustainability and climate technologies – critical for global net-zero goals, as well as achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and contributing to the delivery of the Paris Agreement, the international treaty on climate change.
The forum aims to bring together global decision and change-makers in the finance industry, to explore
ways for the sector to lead action on climate change.
Arif Amiri, CEO of the DIFC Authority, said: “As the nation prepares to host COP28, The Forum underscores our commitment to addressing pressing environmental challenges.
“Through collaboration and innovative financial solutions, we aim to drive tangible progress towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. We are also contributing to the United Nations SDGs and look forward to enabling meaningful dialogue and actionable outcomes at this important event and beyond.”
Supporting COP28
The Forum’s Agenda supports COP28’s four-pillar plan on fast-tracking the transition, fixing climate finance, focusing on adaptation to protect lives and livelihoods, and making COP28 fully inclusive.
The UAE government has spearheaded a range of comprehensive sustainability programmes in the pursuit of a net zero future. With initiatives like the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, the UAE Net Zero 2050 strategic initiative, and the UAE Vision 2070, a clear emphasis is placed on renewable energy adoption, water conservation, waste management, and sustainable urban development. These strategic endeavours also serve as a testament to the nation’s proactive approach to addressing environmental challenges for a sustainable future.
With the Future Sustainability Forum, the DIFC also hopes to put the spotlight on the UAE’s sustainable practices particularly within the financial ecosystem, inviting global experts to connect, collaborate and share insight to accelerate the global transition towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.
Panel discussions and sessions include: ‘Supporting corporates in embedding ESG within their organisations’; ‘Empowering companies to design their path to Net-Zero’; ‘Unlocking the potential of ESG-driven innovation’; ‘Fostering sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems’; as well as ‘Transforming capital to drive the low carbon transition’.
