DUBAI, UAE, 7 February, 2021: The UAE Council for Climate Change and Environment held its first meeting of 2021 at the headquarters of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) in Dubai. His Excellency Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, presided over the gathering.

Dr Al Nuaimi said: “Stepping up cooperation between government and private sector entities is key to achieving the UAE’s objectives. As the chairing member of the UAE Council for Climate Change and Environment, the Ministry is keen on holding regular meetings to bring everyone on board.”

The event commenced with a review of the three recommendations from the last meeting of heads of municipalities across the UAE that took place in August 2020.

The first recommendation involved boosting local food security. Proposed ways included developing and increasing the efficiency of the infrastructure and services that cater to the agricultural sector, establishing partnerships and investment channels with the private sector to improve the sales of local agricultural products in the UAE and abroad, and enhancing agricultural guidance through awareness programmes and field visits.

The second recommendation was to unify food imports and food facilities inspection and control measures through establishing a joint technical team to examine the relevant measures currently applied by local authorities. The team would, then, align the procedures as well as the documentation of the control and inspection processes of imported food consignments at points of entry.

The third recommendation concerned reviewing the outcomes of an evaluation study of slaughterhouses and livestock markets in the UAE. In this regard, a team was set up to formulate technical specifications and standard procedures applicable to these facilities. It also carried out an environmental impact assessment for these establishments, and relocated the ones in proximity to residential areas or animal farms to more convenient locations.