GGGI MENA

I was delighted to be a speaking at this Wednesday, January 29, 2025 event organized in Dubai by the Emirates Environmental Group (#EGG) led by Dr. Habiba Al Mar’ashi, Co-Founder & Chairperson, on the theme "𝗔𝗜 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗔 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆" The environmental implications of AI are vast and multifaceted. On one hand, as #𝗚𝗚𝗚𝗜 and many others are piloting, AI innovations can lead to breakthroughs in green technologies, such as smart grids, climate modelling and waste reduction systems. On the other hand, the energy demands of AI infrastructure, alongside complex ethical issues, pose significant questions about AI's net effect on sustainability. As industries and governments increasingly turn to AI, a collaborative approach between public and private sectors is essential to ensure AI serves as a tool for positive environmental impact. I was a great pleasure sharing the panel with  𝗗𝗿. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗳 𝗔𝗹 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗳 (President, Rochester Institute of Technology - RIT Dubai, and Honorary Member of EEG), 𝗠𝘀. 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗭𝗮𝗸𝘇𝗮𝗸 (Principal Researcher at Mohammad Bin Rashid School of Government) and Mr. Ro𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 (Citi Global Insights) to share ideas on questions related to:  • What are the sustainability trade-offs of AI innovation? • How can AI be harnessed to support both environmental and social dimensions of sustainability? • And what policies are needed to mitigate potential adverse effects? • How is AI currently contributing to sustainable practices across industries? • In what ways can AI enhance policy-making for environmental conservation and climate change? Well done, Habiba and #𝗘𝗘𝗚 Team, for bringing the young generation from high schools in the debates. 

I was delighted to take part in the 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 (WiSER) Forum 2025 on January 15, during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2025 (#ADSW).  It was a great pleasure meeting and sharing ideas on five key topics: 1. 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs 2. 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮: Expanding Reach and Influence 3. 𝘼𝙄 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: Catalyzing Entrepreneurial Growth 4. 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥: Advancing Women's Leadership 5. 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮: Empowering Emerging Economies These topics are well-aligned with #𝗚𝗚𝗚𝗜 work on Green Entrepreneurship for Women as part of the wider support to our Member States to transition their economies into a green growth model. Congratulations to #𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗱𝗮𝗿 and #𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗥 team for this excellent forum.

🌱 GGGI is very pleased to welcome Sang-Hyup Kim as our new Director-General! With a deep commitment to sustainable development and a vision for transformative progress, Sang-Hyup Kim has officially begun his journey with us. In his first interactive session with colleagues, he shared his strategic priorities and vision for GGGI, emphasizing our role as a resilient, innovative, and transformative force in advancing sustainable green growth worldwide. We are excited to continue the green journey with his leadership to shape a greener, more resilient future for all. Welcome, Director-General Sang-Hyup Kim ! #gggi #greengrowth #climateaction GGGI Africa GGGI Pacific GGGI MENA GGGI Latin America & the Caribbean GGGI Cambodia GGGI Viet Nam GGGI Mongolia

I was very pleased to meet on Thursday, December 12, 2024, 𝗗𝗿. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳 𝗔𝗹-𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗳, 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 (#𝗥𝗜𝗧) 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗯 𝗬. 𝗞𝗮𝗵𝘄𝗮𝗷𝗶, 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿, and the RTI team on their campus in Dubai. I was thrilled to join my 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝗮𝗯 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 (𝗨𝗔𝗘) 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 (#GGGI) and #RIT in Dubai on December 12, 2024. From capacity building to new knowledge acquisition, research, joint events, knowledge products development, and other joint initiatives aiming at supporting the sustainability ambitions of the Government of the 𝗨𝗔𝗘 through the respective mandates of #GGGI and #RIT, I believe this MOU will serve as the foundation of productive cooperation between our two institutions through innovations. I want to thank our Host Ministry in the UAE - the 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (MOCCAE) – for its constant and consistent support, and its presence at the MOU signing ceremony. My UAE Country Team and I are looking forward to operationalizing this important MOU, working with #RIT President and his team and his team to contribute to strengthening the resilience in the built environment in the UAE. #GGGI #EGBC

I was very pleased to meet on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, 𝗠𝗿. 𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗻𝗮𝗾, 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 (#EGBC), 𝗠𝗿. 𝗔𝗯𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗳 𝗔𝗹𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘄𝗶, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and #EGBC team at the #EGBC Sustainability Lounge in Dubai. I was delighted to join my UAE Country Program Team to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 (#GGGI) and #EGBC in Dubai on December 11, 2024. The sustainability in the built environment is part of the priorities of the Government of the 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝗮𝗯 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 - 𝗨𝗔𝗘. This cooperation between #𝗚𝗚𝗚𝗜 and #𝗘𝗚𝗕𝗖 will contribute to the delivery of the UAE ambitions through evidence-based knowledge sharing, capacity building,  I want to thank our Host Ministry in the 𝗨𝗔𝗘 - the 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (#𝗠𝗢𝗖𝗖𝗔𝗘) – for its constant and consistent support, and its presence at the MOU signing ceremony. My 𝗨𝗔𝗘 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 and I are looking forward to operationalizing this important MOU, working with EGBC Chairman, CEO , and their team to contribute to strengthening the resilience in the built environment in the UAE. #GGGI #EGBC

🌍🌾 GGGI at #COP16Riyadh! Join the discussion on ways to address the urgent global crisis of land degradation, drought, and desertification. 🎥 Watch the video to discover the key topics driving these important conversations. #GGGI #COP16Riyadh #Desertification #DroughtResilience #ClimateAction

I was pleased to meet on Wednesday, 27 November 2024, 𝗗𝗿 𝗔𝗯𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗺 𝗘𝗹𝘄𝗮𝗲𝗿, 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (#FAO) for the Near East and North Africa, on the sidelines of the Global Food Security Summit (#GFSS2024) in Abu Dhabi. #GGGI and #FAO have strong alignments in terms of the thematic areas of support needed and requested by our Member States, acceleration of climate actions for inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and strategic partnerships to scale up climate actions and mobilize resources. We look forward to advancing the cooperation in the MENA region including but not limited to regional projects/programs starting from 2025.

I was thrilled to meet on Wednesday, 27 November 2024, with 𝗛.𝗘. 𝗗𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗝𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗵 𝗔𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶, 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 (#IOFS), together with 𝗛.𝗘. 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗸 𝗔𝗿𝘆𝗻, 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 of IOFS and his team, on the sidelines of the Global Food Security Summit (#GFSS2024) in Abu Dhabi. It was a great opportunity to discuss and share ideas on the growing cooperation between #GGGI and #IOFS, the plans ahead to operationalize the upcoming cooperation agreement between our two institutions, and the acceleration of the implementation of the SAFE Initiative (Scaling Agriculture and Food systems for Economic development), a USD 10 Billion Public-Private-Partnership launched at COP28. After the very productive visit of 𝗛.𝗘. 𝗗𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗝𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗵 𝗔𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶, to #GGGI headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, we look forward to welcoming 𝗛.𝗘. 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗸 𝗔𝗿𝘆𝗻 in the coming months. Great to see our teams are advancing concrete projects on food security for the benefit of our Member States. 

I was very pleased to meet on Wednesday, 27 November 2024, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛.𝗘. 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗸, 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗴𝘆𝗽𝘁, on the sidelines of the Global Food Security Summit (#GFSS2024) in Abu Dhabi. It was great to confirm with 𝗛.𝗘. 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗸 the alignment between the Government of Egypt food security ambitions and the initiatives #GGGI is implementing with Governments and Institutions in Africa and the Middle East through the 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 (𝗦caling 𝗔griculture and 𝗙ood systems for 𝗘conomic development), a USD 10 Billion Public-Private-Partnership launched at COP28. I look forward to pursuing the engagement with 𝗛.𝗘. 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗸 and his team as well as other Ministries, to develop the cooperation between #GGGI and the Federal Republic of Egypt to transform its economy into a green growth model, create green jobs, increase access to green and climate finance, and support the deliver transformative green growth policies and high-result/high-impact climate actions.

I was delighted to join the 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 (#𝗚𝗙𝗦𝗦𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰) in Abu Dhabi and be the Moderator of the session on November 27, 2024, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. on the theme “𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮”. Through a dialog with the panelists and engagement with the audience, the session explored transformative strategies to strengthen Africa’s food security through resilient, inclusive food systems. Focused on sustainable agriculture, regional cooperation, and innovations in crop resilience, the discussions highlighted the role of coordinated governance and multi-stakeholder engagement in advancing Africa’s agricultural potential. Insights from key leaders provided scalable solutions to address Africa’s unique food security challenges, paving the way for a sustainable, food-secure future. I was pleased to have as speakers: • 𝙉𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙂𝙗𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙖, Director, Food Systems Coordination, External Relations and Governance Department, IFAD • 𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙚, Managing Director, Africa’s Food Systems Forum (AGRF) Congratulations to the organizers of the GFSS2024 for the great event. #GGGI #GFSS2024