UAE Sustainability Initiatives

Federal Initiatives

Vision 2021

UAE Vision 2021 was launched by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at the closing of a Cabinet meeting in 2010.

The Vision aims to make the UAE among the best countries in the world by the Golden Jubilee of the Union. To achieve that, six national priorities have been identified as key focus sectors of government action in the coming years.

The National Priorities (National Key Performance Indicators):

Cohesive Society and Preserved Identity
Safe Public and Fair Judiciary
Competitive Knowledge Economy
First-Rate Education System
World-Class Healthcare
Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure

Click here to access the full UAE Vision on the Vision 2021 website.

Green Economy for Sustainable Development

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, launched a national initiative for long-term building a green economy in the UAE under the slogan “green economy for sustainable development”.

The strategy aims to position the UAE as a world leader and a center for export and re-export of products and green technologies as well as maintaining a sustainable environment which supports economic growth. Click here to read more about the national initiative for a green economy.

The UAE Energy Strategy 2050 was announced by Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai H.H. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in November 2015. The strategy aims to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix to 50%, balance the supply and demand, and ensure a conducive economic environment for growth across sectors. Click here to read more.

Abu Dhabi Initiatives

As defined in Abu Dhabi Government’s Policy Agenda, the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 is the ultimate goal and is articulated through a set of overarching principles which would guide the development of Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council’s plans, policies, standards and guidelines. The vision is based on four pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, social and cultural.

Click here to download the Vision 2030.

Environment Vision 2030 was developed by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) in close coordination with the General Secretariat of the Executive Council and Department of Economic Development / Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development.

The five priority areas of the Abu Dhabi Environment Vision 2030 are:

Climate Change
Clean Air and Noise Pollution
Water Resources
Biodiversity, Habitats and Cultural Heritage
Waste Management

Click here to access Abu Dhabi’s Environment Vision 2030.

Following the launch of the Estidama framework in 2008, the Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities (DPM) – formerly known as Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) – developed the Estidama Pearl Rating System (PRS) in 2010, addressing four pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, social and cultural. The PRS is mandatory for all new buildings in the Abu Dhabi Emirate. It is also the first mandated sustainability rating system in the Arab region.

Click here to visit the Estidama PRS webpage.

Dubai Initiatives

H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the Dubai Plan 2021 in Dec 2014. With a special focus on people and society, the plan addresses six focus themes, each highlighting a group of strategic developmental aims for Dubai.

The People: “City of Happy, Creative & Empowered People”
The Society: “An Inclusive & Cohesive Society”
The Experience: “The Preferred Place to Live, Work & Visit”
The Place: “A Smart & Sustainable City”
The Economy: “A Pivotal Hub in the Global Economy”
The Government: “A Pioneering and Excellent Government”

Click here to read more about the Dubai Plan 2021.

The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy has formulated and launched the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 in 2011, with the purpose of diversifying sources of energy and increase the clean energy share. Dubai aims to increase the share of clean energy to 29% and the Emirate’s energy demand by 30% by 2030. Click here to learn more about the Dubai energy targets.

HH Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 in November 2015, which aims to make Dubai a global centre of clean energy and green economy. It aims to provide 75 % of the Emirate’s energy through clean energy sources by 2050. Click here to read more.

Aligned with Dubai government’s strategic plans, Dubai Municipality launched its Green Building Regulations and Specifications (GBR&S) in 2011 to be applied as mandatory requirements for new construction in the Emirate. These regulations have been mandated on government owned buildings since 2011 and on all new buildings in Dubai starting 2014. Based on the GBR&S, Dubai Municipality introduced Al Sa’fat rating system in 2016 to strengthen the sustainable built environment in the city, and support the goal of Dubai’s Plan 2021 to create a smart and sustainable city. Click here to learn more about Al Sa’fat Rating System.

Trakhees serves as a regulatory arm for the issuance of building permits, commercial licensing, and for the supervision of engineering and all health, environmental and safety related matters within the Free Zone. Trakhees has incorporated several sustainability credits into its own building assessment system. Click here to learn more about the Trakhees Regulations.

Ras Al Khaimah Initiatives

The Ras Al Khaimah Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Strategy 2040 targets 30% energy savings, 20% water savings and 20% generation from renewable energy sources by 2040. It was launched in 2018 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah and is being implemented by the Energy Efficiency and Renewables Office (Reem) at Ras Al Khaimah Municipality.

The strategy consists of several programs which consist of:

Barjeel Green Building Regulations
Building Retrofits
Energy Management
Efficient Appliances
Efficient Street Lighting
Water Reuse and Efficient Irrigation
Solar Programs
Energy from Waste
Efficient Vehicles

To find out more, please visit the RAK Reem webpage.

The Barjeel Green Building Regulations were launched in 2019 by the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Municipality under the RAK Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Strategy 2040 and will contribute to the largest share of energy and water savings of the strategy.

The regulations apply to all new buildings in the Emirate of RAK and include the economic and free zones, with minor exclusions (for example, temporary and heritage buildings). The Barjeel submission takes place during both the design and construction stages.

The regulations target five main components: energy efficiency, water efficiency, renewable energy, material & resources, and comfort & well-being and are split into Fundamental Green Building Regulations and Comprehensive Green Building Regulations. Barjeel sets minimum requirements for different building types, with the basic requirements for simple buildings, and broader ones for more complex buildings. Private villas are considered as simple buildings whilst, buildings with more than 1000 square meter of the built-up area are considered complex buildings.

The first year of the regulations is a pilot phase where compliance of Barjeel is voluntary. From January 2020 onwards, Barjeel will be mandatory for all new construction in Ras Al Khaimah and it will be associated with the building permit process. Incentives are offered for developers for applying Barjeel on their projects with early adopters (first 5 applications) applicable for a 100% discount on final building permit fees. This incentive is applicable for developers who submit a building permit application in line with Barjeel during the 2019 voluntary period.

For more information about Barjeel, please visit the RAK Municipality website here.

International Conventions

REF	STATUS
COP 21	Submitted INDC in 2015 (Click here to read about the UAE commitment)
The Kyoto Protocol 1997	Ratified in 2005
Convention on Conservation of Wildlife and its Natural Habitats in the GCC Countries 2001	Ratified 2003
Convention of Biological Diversity 1992	Ratified 1999
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change	Ratified in 1995 (Click on Link 1, Link 2 and Link 3 to check the National Communication Reports)
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)	Acceded in 1995
Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer 1985	Ratified 1989
Montreal protocol	Acceded in 1989

The Emirates Green Building Council currently offers five membership levels, which cater to Industry, Corporate, Individual, SME, and Student stakeholders within the Industry

EmiratesGBC hosts events throughout the year as a platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing across the industry

EmiratesGBC offers a wide range of training and workshops related to sustainability and green buildings to build capacity in the UAE and wider region.

The EmiratesGBC Green Building Tooltips is a rich online resource that provides useful information on green building practices.