GE, announced signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, with the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators, a think tank and accelerator focused on driving the transition to a green economy, to collaborate across three broad actionable pillars and build the momentum around climate action in the UAE and beyond.
Under the framework of the newly signed agreement, GE and UICCA will work together to accelerate energy transition efforts by empowering the nation’s youth, fostering impactful technology innovations, and harnessing the potential of policy advocacy to drive sustainable development solutions across the energy ecosystem.
The MoU, signed by HH Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President, and CEO of UICCA, and Roger Martella, Chief Sustainability Officer, GE, focuses on three key pillars namely, Youth and Diversity, Innovation and Technology, and Policy Collaboration.
Cooperating under the first pillar, GE and UICCA will engage young people and diverse communities in climate change solutions through a multi-pronged approach encompassing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM education, awareness-raising, and capacity building.
To help build critical climate infrastructure, the two entities will lead joint efforts in research to develop and promote breakthrough technologies that have the potential to be deployed at scale in the region and beyond.
Under the third pillar, GE and UICCA will help accelerate the energy transition by collaborating with stakeholders in government, research centres, think tanks, and independent organisations to develop and advocate informed policy recommendations that support climate solutions.
Following the signing of the MoU, GE and UICCA demonstrated their commitment to grow a strong and diverse pipeline of future tech leaders in the UAE capable of delivering impactful clean energy solutions by hosting a day-long capacity-building event in partnership with INJAZ UAE on May 2nd.
At the Youth United for Sustainability event, which was attended by senior leaders from all partner entities and the United States Consul General in Dubai Meghan Gregonis, representing the US Mission to the UAE, more than 100 university students from across the UAE gained valuable hands-on, STEM-based learning experience and the opportunity to deploy advanced technology solutions to steer the UAE’s net-zero journey.
Tasked with solving an energy transition challenge, the students focused on devising a balanced energy mix for the UAE that addresses the three key pillars of the energy trilemma – sustainability, reliability, and affordability.
In line with the inclusive and comprehensive agenda of the upcoming global climate summit, the Dubai event focused on the role of energy transition as a crucial enabler of sustainable development and climate resilience. The event also built on GE’s unwavering efforts in the MENAT region in developing the next generation of young people in STEM fields through immersive experiences to ignite their interest in STEM careers.
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