DUBAI, UAE, 9 February 2021: His Excellency Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, commended the newly established UAE Circular Economy Council for serving as an ideal forum to build synergies in expediting the implementation of circular economy principles through devising relevant legislation and through rolling out programmes and initiatives, the Ministry said through a Press release.

The Minister’s comments followed the UAE Cabinet’s approval of the formation of the UAE Circular Economy Council, which is chaired by His Excellency Dr Al Nuaimi. Members of the new body comprise His Excellency Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy; His Excellency Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Teleworking Applications and His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade. The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs are also represented on the Council.

Other members include Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, CEO, Alliances for Global Sustainability; Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi; His Excellency Eng Dawood Abdulrahman Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality and His Excellency Dr Salem Al Kaabi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center (Tadweer). Eight other members come from various local government entities as well as from the private sector.

The Council is responsible for overseeing the development of the implementation strategy for the UAE Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031, which targets the adoption of the circular economy concept in four priority areas – green infrastructure, sustainable transportation, sustainable manufacturing, and sustainable food production and consumption, the Ministry said. The policy was developed jointly by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and by the Office of the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, the Ministry added.

Moreover, the Council is mandated to follow up on the execution of sectoral initiatives, approve key performance indicators for the progress made, and align federal and local strategies with the policy requirements, the Ministry said. The Council, it added, will propose the framework for the general and sectoral plans and projects that apply the principles of circular economy. In addition, it will drive the participation of the private sector in circular economy ventures, encourage relevant public-private partnerships, enhance scientific research in the field and scale up international cooperation in implementing the circular economy.