Conference Programmes

What will the upcoming Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) updates in 2025 mean for public and private sector organisations? Will they accelerate the path to a low carbon future and place new expectations and challenge on public sector and private organisations? As NDCs are updated, what learnings can companies take from previous rounds and apply to the new NDCs. What hasn't worked in the past that could provide valuable lessons? Our keynote panel will look at the likely impact of the updated NDCs in the pathway to 1.5C. 

Nadia Rouchdy, Head of Climate, Emirates Nature – WWF
 

Ghiwa Nakat, Executive Director, Greenpeace
 

ESG disclosures are an x-ray view of the inside of a corporation. They highlight the work a company is doing to decarbonise, offer learnings for other organisations and bring to light additional work required. This session will explore the rise of ESG reporting and the benefits this brings. It also asks whether the reporting frameworks are sophisticated enough to meet reporting requirements, and if they can capture progress and changes by an organisation as they increasingly monitor and report their emissions. 

Adele Guidot, Program Lead, Global Compact Network UAE
 

Companies are putting in place targets and adaptation strategies, but are they backed by science? This presentation will assess how companies can truly employ science-based targets in their efforts to decarbonise and looks at whether they are still a good approach.

This discussion will explore the types of policies that can empower society, governments, and businesses to make significant strides towards a low-carbon or net zero future. We will examine where the focus should be, how these policies can benefit organisations, and strategies to ensure they do not become barriers to progress.

For many organisations, a significant portion of their greenhouse gas emissions - in some cases up to 85-90% - originates from Scope 3 sources. These emissions are indirect and stem from activities within the supply chain, such as production, transportation, and waste management. How can companies effectively collaborate with their supply chain partners to reduce these emissions, particularly if they are not a large-scale buyer? What successful strategies and examples can they draw inspiration and learn from? 

Jessica Scopacasa, Co-Founder, Olive Gaea 
 

Leena Al Olaimy, Founder & CEO, Symbaiosys 
 

Nahla Nabil, Author and Sustainability Strategist
 

This talk will look in detail at a scope 3 policy in action, and how it is helping an organisation accelerate their indirect emissions. It will touch on the challenges, opportunities and the impact a well-run policy can have. 

Senior Representative, Emirates Nature-WWF
 

How can AI partner with other climate-focused technologies to achieve the emissions reductions that society needs? These presentations will outline how current AI is being used and lays out ideas of how its use could evolve in future to make a true impact on tackling climate change. 

11:45 | Talk 1: 
 

12:00 | Talk 2:
 

ClimateTech can take many, diverse forms - ranging from cutting-edge, advanced AIbased systems to practical low-tech opportunities such as passive cooling. Equally, technologies focused on adaptation and resilience are becoming more important. These presentations will look at different ClimateTech ideas, the difference they are making and how they are being scaled. 

12:15 | Talk 1: Lola Fernandez, Principal, VentureSouq Management 
 

12:30 | Talk 2:
 

How do we grow a carbon market with integrity, ensuring participants can engage confidently without the fear of greenwashing? Carbon markets allow companies to buy carbon credits to offset their emissions, and these are often linked with naturebased projects, although not necessarily in the country of origin. This panel will explore the potential and limitations of regional carbon markets and credits as a financial mechanism to support and scale nature-based solutions, look at their measurement and verification, and ask if there is a mismatch between the value of financing and carbon removal. 

Loubna Zaitouni, Senior Legal Affairs Specialist, New Economy Department,
Ministry of Economy, UAE 
 

Eva Ramos Perez Torreblanca, Division Director - Environmental Policy Analysis and Economics, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi
 

Any focus on the blue economy needs to look beyond mangroves and also consider other carbon sequestration options. How do countries merge nature into action and options around the blue economy and climate adaptation? 

Seta Tutundjian, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Thriving Solutions
 

The climate-related youth and young entrepreneur's voice is becoming ever more powerful, and one that forward-thinking companies are increasingly embracing. They can bring behavioural change at board level, influencing corporate decisions from the inside that can flow downstream to nudge consumer behaviour. Here we speak with companies actively engaging with younger visionaries and look at the benefits they are bringing. 

Kevin Holliday, Managing Director, C3 (Companies Creating Change)
 

Rather than focus on the barriers to climate action, this discussion will focus on the enablers of mitigation and adaptation. It will look at financing, the fostering of novel or new ideas, new technologies and the incentives and structures that would help adaptation enablers to function better. How will adaptation enablers consolidate climate resilience - this session will explain.

Suparna Mathur, Founder & CEO, Parna Impact Advisory