The UAE’s Cop28 will mark the world’s first global stocktake, evaluating the collective progress made in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015, while the successful navigation of green transitional journeys by governments and corporations hinges on a multi-stakeholder collaborative effort.
With many of the Paris Agreement’s 196 parties lagging on tangible results, tech will be the great enabler of renewed solutions to achieve decarbonisation goals.
Nadia Boumeziout, Head of Sustainability and Information Governance at Zurich Insurance, Middle East, underscores the significance of 2023 as a defining year for countries to lay open where they stand on the UN’s Global Roadmap to address climate change.
“This year is significant, as nations will have to demonstrate whether they are on track with their targets, and we will see that most are not,” says Boumeziout, a headline speaker at the inaugural Gitex Impact, the largest event in the Mena region for sustainability tech, ESG services and strategies, taking place from October 16-20, at the Dubai World Trade Centre. “This will raise new questions and also push for more solutions and actions.”
With 2023 declared as the Year of Sustainability in the UAE, Boumeziout says tech’s role in a sustainable future is crucial. “I’m a firm believer that technology will be the great enabler for sustainable development and transition. We will need technology in many areas, whether in climate-tech or agri-tech, but also for transparent tracking and measuring within supply chains and beyond.”
Measure, disclose, communicate
Meanwhile, the private sector can still embark on its successful decarbonising journeys, but with some caveats. “Measurement, reporting and communication is critical,” says Boumeziout. “Regularly publishing sustainability and ESG reports also becomes imperative, allowing companies to showcase their improvements over time.”
Gitex Impact 2023 promises to be the epicentre of seismic shifts in climate technology, providing a unified platform focused on sustainability and innovation, as the power of digitalisation accelerates the inexorable path towards decarbonisation.
Headline exhibitors and partners spearheading the charge toward a net zero future include global logistics powerhouse DHL, which created the Era of Sustainable Logistics, a global platform to collaborate and shape the future towards green supply chains; ArcelorMittal Xcarb Innovation Fund, among the world’s largest steel producers committed to investing over $200m into tech start-ups to deliver decarbonised steel; and Lufthansa Group, the EU’s flagship airline driving global partnerships to deliver decarbonised air travel.
Organised by DWTC, Gitex Impact is strategically aligned with COP28, delivering transformative pledges accelerated via synergies leveraged at the heart of the world’s largest tech and start-up event, Gitex GLOBAL and Expand North Star, welcoming more than 7,000 exhibitors, 1,800 speakers, and 170,000-plus attendees from 176 countries.
The region’s tech catalyst for decarbonisation through digitalisation will also see the launch of the world’s first CSO Business Club featuring 300-plus global sustainable champions; the Leaders of Impact Summit; and the Global Sustainable Investment Forum. The debut five-day event runs alongside Future Urbanism Expo, the Mena's premier event for sustainable urban development.
Register now at bit.ly/3Zs5qXP
