UAE Joins Global Alliance on Green Economy

Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chairing the UAE cabinet (WAM)
Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chairing the UAE cabinet (WAM)
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UAE Joins Global Alliance on Green Economy

Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chairing the UAE cabinet (WAM)
Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chairing the UAE cabinet (WAM)

The UAE cabinet approved the country's joining to the Global Alliance on Green Economy, led by the World Green Economy Organization, which aims to launch programs and initiatives, create sustainable funding, and establish partnerships among developing countries to ensure an effective transition.

Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported that joining the Alliance would support the UAE's preparations to host the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28).

Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the UAE Cabinet meeting at Qasr al-Watan Abu Dhabi.

The Prime Minister said: "We approved the joining of the UAE to the Global Alliance for Green Economy, which aims to consolidate the global transformation towards a more sustainable economy to preserve the environment in preparation for the UAE to host the COP28 next year. We wish Egypt all success in the current session."

The cabinet approved the convening of the UAE Government Annual Meetings on November 22nd in Abu Dhabi.

The meetings will be attended by 500 senior federal and local officials, aiming to review performance during the previous year, and agree on the most critical development projects at the national level for the following year.

Sheikh Mohammed said that the cabinet meeting approved a comprehensive development project for the federal government staff to enhance the readiness for the future by training on the skills required for the coming period.

"In our meeting, we also adopted a new policy to support the local product by changing the customs exemption policy so that the exemption is for imported materials that are included in industries that are not locally available," said the Prime Minister.

He noted that the "goal is to encourage factories to use locally produced materials to support them."

The cabinet adopted a new policy for pricing essential consumer goods in the country under the control and follow-up of the Ministry of Economy in coordination with the relevant local authorities.

The policy aim to ensure control over the commitment of basic commodity providers and sales outlets to pricing per the policy.

The policy included nine basic consumer commodities: cooking oils, eggs, dairy, rice, sugar, poultry, legumes, bread, and wheat.

The cabinet also adopted a decision regarding the establishment and organization of the Owners Association.

The law aim to regulate the establishment of the union, registering and publicizing it, its management, and the meetings of its general assembly.

The council adopted a decision regarding administrative penalties for the provisions of the Federal Law Decree regulating the connection of distributed renewable energy production units to the electrical grid.



Saudi Giga-project Diriyah Agrees Deals Worth $1 bln with European Firms, Says CEO

Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of the Diriyah Gate Authority reacts during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of the Diriyah Gate Authority reacts during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
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Saudi Giga-project Diriyah Agrees Deals Worth $1 bln with European Firms, Says CEO

Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of the Diriyah Gate Authority reacts during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of the Diriyah Gate Authority reacts during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo

Diriyah, one of Saudi Arabia's giga-projects, has agreed deals worth nearly $1 billion with European firms and is in talks to attract more foreign capital, its CEO said.

Diriyah, located at a UNESCO World Heritage site outside the capital Riyadh, has been backed by PIF investments worth a total of around 20 billion riyals ($5.33 billion) in 2023 and 2024, and should get 12 billion riyals more next year, its CEO said.

It has recently agreed deals worth nearly $1 billion in total with an Italian developer and a French company and is in talks with several foreign investors looking to buy equity stakes in hotels and other real estate developments, Jerry Inzerillo told Reuters in New York this week.

"There's a lot of interest from America, a lot of interest from every country," he said. "We'll work with any country that can deliver quality and stay on time."

Foreign investors have already bought stakes in several projects in Diriyah, said Inzerillo, with more to come.

"A lot of people can see that it's built, it's doable; it's no longer renderings, no longer 'you wait and see' ... So now we're seeing a big spike in interest in foreign investment".

Inzerillo said investment priorities have changed because of upcoming events such as the Expo 2030 world fair, which Riyadh last year won the right to host. But the pace and scope of the Saudi giga-projects have not been scaled back, he said.

"It's a realignment, a re-prioritization ... not a reduction," he added.