EmiratesGBC and Climate Neutral Real Estate Gulf Region sign MoU to advance sustainable building practices in the Gulf
DUBAI, UAE, 20 May 2025: Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) announced its partnership with Climate Neutral Real Estate Gulf Region (CNRE), a public-private partnership between the Dutch Government and knowledge institutes, technology companies and technology providers, to further champion key issues related to environmental sustainability in the region. Making the announcement through a Press Release, EGBC said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed recently in Dubai seeks to leverage EGBC and CNRE’s respective networks to promote a host of good practices in the region and internationally, including Near Zero and Net Zero buildings and communities, resilience in the built environment for new buildings and retrofits and research and education in areas of sustainability in the built environment.
EGBC said that the signing of the MoU was marked by a welcome note by Habiba Al Marashi, Co-Founder, Vice Chair and Treasurer, Emirates Green Building Council; opening remarks by H.E. Dr. Carel Richter, Consul General, Kingdom of the Netherlands in Dubai and the Northern Emirates; and an introduction by Andre Vreman, Chairman, Climate Neutral Real Estate. A round table discussion on “Towards Climate Neutral Real Estate in the UAE – Opportunities and Challenges” moderated by Abdullatif AlBitawi, CEO, Emirates Green Building Council, further advocated the urgent need to prioritise environmental sustainability in the region, EGBC said.
According to EGBC, as part of the MoU, CNRE and EGBC will partner to host informative events on green building topics to meet their joint environmental and sustainability objectives. EGBC added that they will work towards enabling real estate to become climate neutral in energy and water supply, while driving asset value and enabling green finance.
Marashi said: “Collaboration is key to driving collective action across industries to achieve a sustainable future for all. At Emirates Green Building Council, we are deeply committed to advocacy to ensure we provide the right platform to drive change, and we are thrilled to partner with Climate Neutral Real Estate Gulf Region (CNRE) in their mission to accelerate net-zero design, construction and operations for real estate assets in desert climates. We look forward to powering our shared vision of sustainable building and environmental impact in the region through this strategic partnership.”
EGBC said that they are devoted to protecting the environment through promoting and encouraging the green building concept within the whole building supply chain, shaping policies for the built environment and facilitating collaborative solutions to promote sustainable practices in the UAE.
