The Emirates Green Development Council (EGDC) organized a Capacity Building Workshop on Eco-labeling and Green Public Procurement on 28 and 29 September 2015, at the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. The two-day program gathered around 30 key policy makers from diverse ministries and authorities which are related to the formulation and implementation of eco-labelling and green public procurement policies at the federal level.

EGDC was formed in June 2015 to coordinate and oversee the implementation of the UAE Green Agenda 2015-2030, which was approved by the Cabinet in January 2015, and to ensure an effective collaboration between federal and local authorities as well as stakeholders. Under the Council, a committee for each of the five strategic objectives was established in September 2015, which will formulate and implement concrete activities. Among five committees, the National Committee on Sustainable Environment and Valued Natural Resources, which is coordinated by the Ministry of Environment and Water, identified eco-labeling and green public procurement as one of the first implementation priorities.

The capacity building sessions were led by experts from the European Office of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), the Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) based in Germany, and Agrofuturo based in Italy. With a facilitation support from GGGI and the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS-WWF), the participants learned the benefits and steps to introduce eco-labeling and green public procurement policies and global best practices. Based on this learning, they also discussed how best those policies can be applied and the existing practices can be advanced in the UAE context, and identify each authoritys role and next steps of collaboration.

One of our committees key objectives is to support economic diversification and job creation in the country by facilitating market and consumer demand for environmental products and services. Eco-labeling is considered to be the most effective way to shift the everyday purchasing decisions of consumers. As the largest consumer, which accounts for 24 per cent of GDP, the federal and local governments purchase can drive markets towards the green economy, said Eng. Mariam Mohammed Saeed Hareb, Assistant Undersecretary of Natural Resources, Ministry of Environment and Water, who is also chairing the Committee on Sustainable Environment and Valued Natural Resources, welcoming the participating policy makers.

Capacity building and learning from best practices is an important first step and a key to success for any policy-making. There are already a number of advancements in these low-hanging fruit areas, including efficiency standards and labeling for electrical appliances and water fixtures established by the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA). This workshop helped identifying the best way forward for the UAE to realize the green economy and encourage more cooperation among competent authorities, she concluded.

For more information on the UAE Green Agenda and the Emirates Green Development Council, please contact greendevelopment@moew.gov.ae