ADSW 2020 achieves new milestones

Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2020, the region’s largest sustainability gathering, has again achieved new milestones for attendance, participation and business deals.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, the opening ceremony at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on January 13 was attended by a number of distinguished guests, including HE Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia, who delivered the keynote address; Armen Sarkissian, President of the Republic of Armenia; HE Danny Faure, President of the Republic of Seychelles; HE Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, President of the Republic of Mali; HE Julius Maada Bio, president of the Republic of Sierra Leone; HE Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda; HE Anna Brnabić, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia; HE Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bangladesh; HE Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji.

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, also attended the opening ceremony, as well as HH Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman; HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince of Ras Al Khaimah; HH Sheikh Suroor Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan; HH Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council; HH Lt. General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; HH Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office; and HH Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court. 

A total of 10 heads of state and more than 160 government ministers attended the ceremony, while His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Chairman of Masdar, delivered the welcome address.

Throughout the week-long event, ADSW hosted more than 840 exhibiting companies, as well as 45,000 attendees from 170 countries, more than 500 speakers, 4,000 opening ceremony delegates and 3,000 students at Youth 4 Sustainability (Y4S). 

To align more closely with the UAE Vision 2021 and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, ADSW has widened its scope beyond renewable energy since first being launched in 2008, becoming a key platform for the Women in Sustainability Environment and Renewable Energy (WiSER) Forum and Y4S, which was held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan The Festival at Masdar City was also a runaway success, with the city’s newest attraction, Central Park, proving popular with families. 

The newest platform launched at ADSW 2020 was the Smart Cities Expo & Forum, which brought forward-thinking governments and municipalities together with pioneers in smart infrastructure, future transportation and next-generation building technology to develop the potential of connected communities – from sustainable planning to smart mobility.
The second edition of the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum (ADSFF) also continued the momentum generated by last year’s event, with ADSFF 2020 highlighting the latest progress in Abu Dhabi’s Sustainable Finance Agenda, as well as promoting the second edition of the Abu Dhabi Declaration, and revealing new UAE Sustainable Finance Principles.

Key to the event’s success in 2020 was the closer involvement of ADSW’s sponsors, partners and stakeholders, including the Department of Energy Abu Dhabi, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Abu Dhabi Power Corporation, Mubadala Investment Company, and Abu Dhabi Global Market.