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The EcoCity World Summit – the biennial cross-disciplinary gathering of all involved in building sustainable cities - is to come to Abu Dhabi city, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, in 2015.
The Summit organisers, the Ecocity Conference Series Relay Committee (ECRC), awarded the host status to the UAE capital after what it called a ‘clearly outstanding proposal’ submitted by Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau – a dedicated entity of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) – in conjunction with the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD),and its Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) and with the support of Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company and Etihad Airways.
ECRC, a division of Ecocity Builders, the nonprofit organisation dedicated to reshaping cities for the long-term health of human and natural systems, said several factors helped Abu Dhabi’s bid stand out, including its commitment to facing environmental challenges and supporting renewable energy as well as its interest in ‘blue carbon sequestration’ – the absorption of carbon out of the atmosphere in mangroves and sea grasses.
“We are very interested in techniques for natural carbon sequestration and we feel that this strategy deserves much more focus and attention,” ECRC says in its host city award letter.
The Summit is expected to attract upwards of 1,500 delegates and features an associated Ecocity exhibition.
“This is a very positive development both for our ambitions to be recognised as a both a preferred destination for major world conventions and a local and global leader in environmental sustainability efforts,” said HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman, TCA Abu Dhabi.
“The city will now work towards providing a strong and well-resourced platform for Ecocity Builders to bring its message of balanced urban strategies to the region and to the world. We want to announce to the world that Abu Dhabi city has a vision to develop viable solutions for urban living which go beyond the current unsustainable energy policies of many nations”.
Representatives of the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative along with Suhaila Saeed Al Munthari, from the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau received the award last weekend from Richard Register, President of Ecocity Builders and in the presence of the French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. Upon receiving the award Suhaila Saeed Al Munthari on behalf of Abu Dhabi said: “Holding this summit in Abu Dhabi will reinforce the efforts EAD and AGEDI are making through their involvement in current global forums, such as the Eye on Earth Special Initiatives and the sustainability efforts and commitment of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi to the sustainability of the emirate. In addition, the summit will raise more awareness in the UAE and beyond on the need for more sustainable community planning.”
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