By Dr. M.A.S. Alahbabi
THE Heads of State, global business leaders, technology experts, civil society organisations and other stakeholders will convene in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital, from January 13 to 17, 2013 to discuss sustainable development.
The sustainable development goals highlight the need for sustainable access to energy, water and food.
These challenges will be discussed at the conference and during Abu Dhabi sustainability week.
The Abu Dhabi sustainability week builds on that heritage and the momentum created at the Rio+20 Earth Summit in Brazil, particularly in advancing sustainable development goals, which will guide the sustainability agenda for the next 20 years.
The Abu Dhabi sustainability week will be the largest gathering on sustainability in the Middle East.
More than 30,000 delegates from 150 countries are expected to participate in the conference and parallel events to the conference.
I encourage the participation of Uganda’s private sector, civil society organisations, academia and government agencies, in this conference.
The numerous planned gatherings will give a platform enabling governments, businesses and organisations to demonstrate their achievements in sustainable development and share their knowledge, with respect to sustainable development.
The conference and events will also focus on the pressing business, technology, policy and financial challenges required to successfully address sustainable development.
Uganda has over the years achieved much in the area of sustainable development and garnered an impressive portfolio of best practices in the numerous projects that demonstrate sustainable development.
This is the time to showcase to the world what Uganda has achieved in the field of sustainable development.
It is an excellent opportunity to showcase Uganda’s full potential on the over-all theme of sustainability. UAE encourages investments, partnerships and open platforms so that together, we can define the future global landscape of sustainability and our shared future in a global sustainable world.
The writer is the deputy head of mission, UAE Embassy in Kampala
