DIFC to host first Future Sustainability Forum in Dubai

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has announced it will host the inaugural edition of the Future Sustainability Forum ahead of COP28.

Set to galvanise key stakeholders, including the finance and insurance sectors, towards accelerating net-zero goals, the forum offers a platform to explore future sustainability and climate technologies critical for the world’s net-zero agenda and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals while contributing to the delivering the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

The Future Sustainability Forum, which will be held on October 4-5, at the Ritz-Carlton DIFC, will connect industry leaders, investors, tech disruptors and policymakers.

The inaugural forum aligns with DIFC’s commitment to play a leading role in advancing COP28 priorities and its chairmanship of the Dubai Sustainable Finance Working Group, which was established in 2019.

Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority, said: “We are thrilled to welcome the world to Dubai and the Future Sustainability Forum as part of our ‘Path to COP28’ programme. As the nation prepares to host COP28, the forum underscores our commitment to addressing pressing environmental challenges. Through collaboration and innovative financial solutions, we aim to drive tangible progress towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.

“We are committed to contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and look forward to enabling meaningful dialogue and actionable outcomes at this important event and beyond.”

The Future Sustainability Forum also aligns with DIFC’s 2030 Strategy to drive the future of finance, and on Dubai’s position as a global leader for green and sustainable bonds and sukuks.

Its agenda supports COP28’s four-pillar plan on fast-tracking the transition, fixing climate finance, focusing on adaptation to protect lives and livelihoods, and making COP28 fully inclusive, announced by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 President-Designate and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology.

The UAE and Dubai governments have spearheaded a range of comprehensive sustainability programmes in the pursuit of a net zero future. With initiatives such as the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, the UAE Net Zero 2050 strategic initiative and the UAE Vision 2070, which underscore the focus on renewable energy adoption, water conservation, waste management and sustainable urban development.

These strategic initiatives reflect the nation’s proactive approach to addressing environmental challenges for a sustainable future.

Read: UAE sets target to achieve 40% cut in carbon emissions by 2030

The Future Sustainability Forum will shine the spotlight on…

…the UAE’s sustainable practices particularly within the financial ecosystem, inviting global experts to connect, collaborate and share insights to accelerate the global transition towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.

Panel discussions and sessions include: ‘Supporting corporates in embedding ESG within their organisations’; ‘Empowering companies to design their path to Net-Zero’; ‘Unlocking the potential of ESG-driven innovation’; ‘Fostering sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems’; and ‘Transforming capital to drive the low carbon transition’.