Dubai, UAE, 14 February 2018: Dubai Land Department (DLD), in cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), on February 13 launched the Sustainability Report, DLD said through a Press communiqué. The report was launched on the sidelines of the sixth World Government Summit, which Dubai hosted from February 11 to 13, the communiqué said.

The report was prepared in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding, with the signatories being the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), DLD, MOCCAE and the United Nations. The objective behind the signing was to address the state of the environment in Arab cities, with an emphasis on real estate sustainability in buildings and construction, the communiqué further said.

His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said that achieving a balanced relationship between development and the environment in the UAE has received great attention from the nation’s wise leadership, with the principle of “integrating the environmental dimension into the comprehensive development plans” playing an essential role in the country’s development policy.

Al Zeyoudi added: “We believe that transforming our national economy into a low-carbon, sustainable green economy is not only the responsibility of the government sector but also of our wider society and those concerned with development in the public and private sectors.”

His Excellency Sultan Butti bin Mejren, Director General of DLD, commented: “We are proud to launch our report on the sidelines of the World Government Summit. The report is a reference for researchers, specialists and all relevant institutions and agencies in the field of sustainability.”

The report was supported by a number of green building councils in the Arab region, as well as the EU project for the Mediterranean region in the field of real estate sustainability, the communiqué said.

It highlights the state of real estate sustainability as well as sustainable laws, regulations and efforts in a number of Arab cities, documenting a wide range of governmental and private sector initiatives that have contributed to the advancement of sustainability initiatives in the Arab region, the communiqué further said.

The project is the first official report on the state of real estate sustainability in the Arab region and has received support and accreditation from the United Nations, the communiqué elaborated.

A special meeting was held in Cairo in cooperation with the Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) and the Arab League to discuss the results of the report with a group of experts and specialists in various aspects of sustainability, the communiqué said

According to the communiqué, the report was produced in both Arabic and English, providing an important resource on which professionals and researchers can base their findings and recommendations in future. The results of the report will be used to support regional cooperation projects on real estate sustainability, as well as the efforts of institutions and agencies working in this field.