Expo City accelerates COP28 preparations, reaffirming UAE's global leadership

Expo City is fervently gearing up to host the world for the momentous COP28 climate conference, spotlighting the UAE's exceptional leadership in addressing pressing global concerns.

In collaboration with relevant local and federal authorities, Dubai is developing plans to ensure the smooth arrival and movement of guests and participants. Buses will be provided to transport visitors and participants to the Blue and Green Zones.

The Blue Zone will be reserved for official delegations, while the Green Zone will be open to the public, non-governmental organisations, and other participants. For the first time in COP history, the Green Zone will be located next to the Blue Zone, allowing decision-makers and officials to interact directly with individuals, students, and community groups. This will ensure that the conference outcomes are aligned with the people's aspirations and that concrete and decisive action is taken for the benefit of the current and future generations.

Hend Al Mheiri, Director of Special Projects at Expo City Dubai, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the UAE is committed to inspiring the local and international community to work together to consolidate effective practices to achieve sustainability and strengthen global efforts to address environmental and climate challenges.

Al Mheiri highlighted Expo City Dubai as a model for a sustainable city, with its expertise and competencies in this field putting it at the forefront of leading destinations. She emphasised that hosting COP28 confirms the UAE's shared goal and message of working towards environmental sustainability and addressing the challenges of climate change.

In line with the UAE's approach of cooperation and joint work, Al Mheiri said that various programmes and initiatives have been prepared to make the hosting of the conference a distinguished platform that embodies the UAE's efforts to find realistic solutions to the problems of emissions, food waste, energy, water, and more. These programmes and initiatives will also help unite efforts to achieve environmental and climate sustainability.

Al Mheiri also noted that the site features dedicated spaces and places for media filming and interviews, including media centres in the Blue and Green Zones. Both centres are equipped with all the necessary technologies, such as high-speed internet and studio services, to help journalists do their jobs. Media outlets can use the media centres by registering and obtaining official media accreditation.

She said that the city is well-equipped to receive and facilitate the arrival of visitors to COP28 due to its proximity to major roads, ease of access by car from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, full integration with the public transportation network, and dedicated metro station and bus routes.

Al Mheiri also noted that multiple plans are being developed in collaboration with relevant authorities to ensure the smooth transfer of guests and entry to the Blue and Green Zones. Shuttle buses will be provided to transport visitors and participants to the Green Zone.

She added that the UAE has benefited from the experiences gained from organising Expo 2020 Dubai, which successfully gathered 192 countries and welcomed 24.1 million visitors to the event site and over 251.2 million virtual visits. The UAE presented an exceptional international expo and harnessed the best technologies to provide a seamless experience for visitors, while also unifying global efforts to take impactful actions and decisions on many important issues for humanity.

Al Mheiri also said that the Expo City Dubai is an example and a result of the UAE's commitment to sustainability. “Since the beginning of our journey within the framework of Expo 2020 Dubai, we worked in the planning and design stages to create a sustainable city.”

"We have set our sights from the outset on the necessity of building a new city that serves as a model for future cities, a city with ambitious goals focusing on making our environmental footprint low and respecting environmental principles, natural resources, reducing pollution, and decreasing carbon emissions," she added.

She stated that the Expo City Dubai is built according to the highest environmental standards. It is a global and sustainable platform aimed at enhancing work and unifying purposeful efforts towards achieving environmental and climate sustainability.

Al Mheiri emphasised that Expo City is a sustainable city of the future that places human service at its core. It progresses with clear steps to incentivise work and achieve carbon neutrality, designed to be a model for innovative, sustainable urban planning.

She noted that the city adopts an ambitious map to achieve sustainability in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, the UAE's Strategic Climate Neutrality Initiative for 2050, and the UAE's Centennial 2071.

WAM