Following on from the first National Roundtable held in May 2015 in Dubai, UNEP FI led the way at a Roundtable of CEOs, as well as board members and senior managers, of national and international financial institutions from across the finance sector in the UAE. The aim of this meeting on 11th November was to raise awareness about sustainable finance and its vast potential for application in the UAE.
The meeting, which was co-organised by UNEP FI and the Ministry of Environment of the UAE in association with the Central Bank of the UAE, the Insurance Authority, Securities and Commodities Authority and the Dubai Financial Services Authority, was attended by high-level representatives from government, with opening remarks made by H.E. Minister of Environment and Water of the UAE, Dr. Rashid bin Fahad. Representatives from the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate for Energy and Climate Change also attended.
This highly successful day, which came in preparation for the hosting of the UNEP FI biennial Global Roundtable Event in Dubai in October 2016, was followed the next day by a workshop for practitioners from the Central Bank, and the banking industry sector. The workshop provided information on how to introduce and implement sustainable finance within their respective organisations.