Abu Dhabi-UAE - Thursday, July 7th 2011 [ME NewsWire]
Following a memorandum of understanding signed with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), headquartered in Seoul, Korea, inaugurated its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) office in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City on July 7, 2011.
Attending the ceremony, held at the Shangri-La hotel in the capital was Dr. Han Seung-soo, former Prime Minister of Korea and Chairman of GGGI Board of Directors; and Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change and Chief Executive Officer of Masdar.
The ceremony also featured remarks by Dr. Cae One Kim, Chairman, National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Kwon Tae-Kyun, Ambassador of Republic of Korea to the UAE.
Dr. Al Jaber said: “This partnership with the GGGI is a natural progression for the UAE, which has placed a strategic focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency and green growth.
“We look at this partnership as a way to further pool resources to find solutions for the economic and environmental health of our collective future. This partnership between GGGI and the UAE will be a reciprocal, resource-sharing collaboration.”
GGGI seeks to establish green growth plan (GGP) analysis for the UAE and support the reduction of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. It aims to focus on developing and implementing specialized training programs to educate workers on the issues surrounding green growth. GGGI will work in close cooperation with the UAE to promote a green growth approach towards sustainable development.
The GGGI Abu Dhabi Office will also work closely with the National Climate Change Committee, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and the International Renewable Energy Agency to strengthen existing environmental initiatives.
GGGI Board Chair Dr. Han Seung-soo said: "The GGGI Abu Dhabi Office will serve as a platform for developing collaborative programs and activities that will catalyze the dissemination of green growth within the UAE in cooperation with relevant national agencies and stakeholders and across the entire Middle East and North Africa region."
Dr. Han added: "GGGI seeks to develop synergistic partnerships between UAE think tanks, businesses and Korean counterparts and other world-leading experts in the areas of energy, green technology and future growth engines."
Additionally, the GGGI Abu Dhabi Office is intended to serve as a regional hub in tackling issues such as climate change and economic development throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
GGGI will also take the initiative to develop tailor-made low carbon green growth models for oil rich and non-Annex I countries with the aim of meeting achievable greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in the future.
It has been announced that GGGI Deputy Executive Director Jung Tae-yong will act as Interim Director of the GGGI Abu Dhabi Office.
GGGI is dedicated to pioneering and diffusing a new paradigm of economic growth: green growth. The institute is a new kind of international organization driven by emerging and developing countries. Headquartered in Seoul, GGGI opened its first regional office in Copenhagen in May 2011. GGGI has also received financial support and encouragement from increasing number of partner countries including Denmark, the UAE, Australia and Japan.
GGGI Board Directors include: Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber; Nicholas Stern (London School of Economics, UK); Thomas C. Heller (Stanford University, USA); Montek S. Ahluwalia (Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, India); Nurgali Ashim (Minister of Environmental Protection, Kazakhstan); Lykke Friis (Minister for Climate and Energy and Minister for Gender Equality, Denmark); Noeleen Heyzer (Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific); Bharrat Jagdeo (President of Guyana); Abdoulie Janneh (Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa); Kim Sung-Hwan (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Republic of Korea); Kim Sang-hyup (Secretary to the President for Green Growth and Environment, Republic of Korea); Hiroshi Komiyama (Chairman, Mitsubishi Research Institute and President Emeritus of the University of Tokyo, Japan); Trevor Manuel (Minister in the Presidency, National Planning Commission, South Africa); Jeffery Sachs (Director, Earth Institute at Columbia University, USA); Izabella Teixeira (Minister of Environment, Brazil), and Richard Samans (Executive Director, GGGI).
Notes to the Editor
Dr. Sultans Remarks:
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber
United Arab Emirates Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change
Chief Executive Officer of Masdar
Remarks for the Opening Ceremony of
Global Green Growth Institute “GGGI” Regional office in Abu Dhabi
7th July 2011
Honoured guests
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the inauguration of the Global Green Growth Institute’s regional headquarters. To begin, please allow me to thank HE Dr. Han Seung-soo, former Prime Minister of Korea and Chair of the Board of Directors of “GGGI”, for his remarks.
Establishing a regional headquarter for GGGI out of Abu Dhabi – and Masdar City – reflects the growing importance of the United Arab Emirates as a major global player in the field of renewable energy, clean technology and sustainable development.
This is further reinforced by a series of important events the UAE recently hosted, including:
– The World Future Energy Summit WFES
– The inaugural meeting of the General Assembly of IRENA
– The second Clean Energy Ministerial
– and the IPCC meeting.
These high-level meetings are a reflection of our wise leadership’s commitment to cooperating with the International Community and actively participating in identifying the solutions required to address the challenges of energy-security, climate change and supporting “green economic growth”.
Our cooperation with GGGI is in line with these efforts.
We look forward to a successful partnership that covers research and capacity building in collaboration with the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, and to promote knowledge-transfer between the participating countries
Our aspirations from this partnership also include:
– Building a Greenhouse Gas data system and monitoring emissions on the national level
– Developing a national policy for “green development”
– and enhancing local capacities.
We are confident the GGGI will provide positive input through close cooperation with Masdar, Masdar Institute and IRENA, while also engaging with UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, the Department of Energy and Climate Change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other related stakeholders.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Cooperation between South Korea and the UAE in the field of renewable energy and sustainability dates back to 2009 when HE Lee Myung-bak, the president of South Korea, visited the UAE and signed a Memorandum of Understanding between Masdar and the Korean Knowledge Economy Ministry”.
In light of President Myung-bak’s vision for the mandate of GGGI in supporting sustainable economic development and improving quality of life; and the long-term futuristic vision of UAE government in working to cement the principles of sustainable development and deploy clean energy solutions through “Masdar”, we are confident the benefits of this cooperation will not be limited to our two nations; its outreach can impact the whole world.
It is worthwhile to remember….that securing long-term economic development cannot be achieved without adopting the necessary sustainable development model; as the depletion of natural resources cannot go on forever.
A bright future awaits those who adopt “green growth methodology”.
Needless to say, technological innovations cannot provide a comprehensive solution, unless supported by a policy framework that facilitates the deployment of these innovations in support of our national priorities and strategic objectives.
Therefore, we need to join efforts and focus on synergies to adopt and implement effective strategies and actions that will drive the progress towards national low carbon growth.
In this context, we are confident that the opening of the regional headquarter of “GGGI” is a major step forward towards establishing a global network to promote knowledge sharing and best practices. The relationship will be a platform where “Masdar Institute” will be able to demonstrate its unique and sophisticated capabilities.
Thank you
- Ends -
Contacts
Korea:
Hee Kyung Son
Phone: 82-2-2096-9991
E-mail: H.son@gggi.org
United Arab Emirates
Thani Al Zayoudi
Phone: +971-2-493-1506
Email: t.alzayoudi@mofa.gov.ae
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