The opening preparatory session of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Rio+20 Earth Summit commenced on Wednesday.

The conference was attended by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, vice chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE). 

“The implementation of the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy is targeting a 30 per cent reduction in energy demand in Dubai by 2030. This strategy will change the emirate’s dependence on fossil fuels to greener sources of energy generation, and strengthen the leading international role of the UAE in general and Dubai in particular,” said Nejib Zaafrani, secretary general and CEO of DSCE at a seminar on Wednesday.

The seminar “Green World on Top — Building a Sustainable Future” was held along side the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.  Top representatives from the UN, World Bank, US Bank and other global and public entities and organisations attended it.

Zaafrani also spoke about the DSCE’s role in managing resources and focusing on continuous implementation and development of its strategy to conserve and manage its resources judiciously. He also explained the Dewa’s role in decreasing the levels of energy consumption.

The seminar was an opportunity to discuss the commitment of participating countries in implementing their energy policies, especially considering that by the year 2050 population growth is expected to shoot up from 7.5 billion to 9 billion. Currently, 1.5 billion of the population does not have access to electricity or water.

Zaafrani added: “The principle of energy for everyone is based on four basic goals: energy conservation, implementation of energy policies, energy security and financial sustainability amongst all nations.”

Meanwhile, Al Tayer announced that the DSCE is cooperating with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to highlight the recommendations of the Sustainable Arabia Clean Energy Conference.

The DSCE chairman emphasized the importance of showcasing these recommendations at the summit as part of the council’s ongoing cooperation with the UNDP in addition to taking first steps to implement these recommendations.