The visit by the UN Secretary-General underscores the growing role the UAE and Abu Dhabi are playing in driving the global adoption of renewable energy and clean technology innovation. Through Masdar, the multi-faceted initiative advancing the development and deployment of renewable and alternative energy technologies, Abu Dhabi has demonstrated its long-term commitment to discovering a viable roadmap for sustainability.

“The UAE is making considerable efforts to find solutions to the world’s energy challenges, in particular through the Masdar initiative and the World Future Energy Summit, which provides a platform for global cooperation in renewable energy and sustainability,” said HE Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General, United Nations. “I am also grateful for the contributions of the UAE’s Minister for Foreign Affairs His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as a member of my High-Level panel on Global Sustainability.

“Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our times,” added Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

“The world needs to find the renewable energy and clean technologies which can mitigate its effects and set the world on a path to more sustainable economic growth and prosperity. The search for these solutions requires collaboration between governments, academia, enterprise and civil society. The longer we delay, the more we will pay – in resources, economic competitiveness, and lives.”

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar and the UAE Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change, said “We are honoured to welcome Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to the World Future Energy Summit. His presence is a testament to Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates’ growing contribution to the global energy and climate change dialogue".