UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended today the official opening ceremony of the 2025 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW). Taking place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC), ADSW is an annual global platform focused on accelerating sustainability efforts and advancing socioeconomic progress in the UAE and worldwide.
During his participation, Sheikh Mohamed welcomed world leaders and experts to ADSW 2025 as they convene to address sustainability challenges, expand dialogue, and intensify efforts to develop solutions to build a more sustainable future for coming generations.
He noted that ADSW 2025 serves as a vital platform in bringing together global leaders, pioneers and experts to address pressing sustainability challenges, develop strategic frameworks and craft innovative solutions to ensure a prosperous future for all.
UAE drives global sustainable economic development
The UAE President underscored that sustainability is a cornerstone of the nation’s strategies and the UAE continues its unwavering efforts to harness resources and capabilities to drive global sustainable economic and social development.
Expanding on the UAE’s approach, Sheikh Mohamed added that ADSW 2025 demonstrates the nation’s dedication to adopting and leveraging advanced technologies to transform energy systems and accelerate economic and social progress. By drawing on diverse expertise, skills and resources, the UAE aims to support global energy ambitions, overcome challenges and secure sustainable energy supplies that enhance energy security and foster stability and well-being for communities around the world.
The ADSW 2025 opening ceremony commenced with the UAE national anthem and featured a captivating film that underscored the critical importance of integrating advanced technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, with the energy sector and human expertise to drive innovation and foster a sustainable future.
UAE achieves key milestones in renewable energy
Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Chairman of Masdar, delivered the opening address, extending a warm welcome to the UAE President, heads of state and other distinguished guests. He praised the UAE leadership for their unwavering support in positioning ADSW 2025 as a premier global platform for advancing sustainable development.
“The UAE has offered the world a practical model for a transformative journey from the present to the future. Our nation has excelled in seamlessly blending its rich heritage and traditions with a forward-thinking approach to adopting groundbreaking innovations,” he stated.
Al Jaber added that the visionary leadership of the UAE President inspires the nation to push boundaries and achieve new heights. “Under His Highness’ guidance, we have reached remarkable milestones in renewable energy, including developing the world’s largest single-site solar power plant and a globally pioneering desalination facility. In wind energy, we have further cemented our leadership with wind farms designed to withstand harsh maritime conditions and operate efficiently at low wind speeds,” he added.
Al Jaber added that the UAE has also reached a transformative milestone in nuclear energy with all four units at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant becoming operational, setting a global benchmark for clean and reliable power generation. He also underscored the UAE’s pioneering achievements in AI, from establishing the world’s first postgraduate university dedicated to AI research to launching strategic investment platforms such as MGX.
On the UAE’s accomplishments in space exploration, Al Jaber remarked: “We sent a probe to Mars, but we won’t stop there. Soon, we will launch a mission to the asteroid belt with the ‘MBR Explorer’ and deploy the ‘MBZ-Sat’ satellite to study and map our planet.”
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Fast-track the world’s transformation to a sustainable economy
The first major event on the global sustainability calendar, ADSW 2025 is taking place under the theme ‘The Nexus of Next: Supercharging Sustainable Progress.’ Throughout the week, policymakers will join leaders from business and civil society to connect, debate and explore pathways to fast-track the world’s transformation to a sustainable economy that enhances prosperity for all.
As part of an engaging program of high-profile sessions, forums, partner-led events and high-level networking opportunities, ADSW 2025 will address the need for widescale systemic change, connecting energy, data, finance, trade and natural ecosystems to drive exponential and sustainable growth while exploring innovative ideas and transforming them into actionable, impactful solutions.
The ADSW 2025 program began with the successful conclusion of the IRENA General Assembly on January 12-13, followed by the Global Climate Finance Forum on January 13, setting the stage for high-level discussions. The ADSW Summit, taking place today and tomorrow, is driving critical dialogue on pressing global sustainability challenges.
Momentum will continue with the World Future Energy Summit and Youth 4 Sustainability (Y4S) Forum running from January 14-16, the Women in Sustainability, Environment, and Renewable Energy (WiSER) Forum on January 15, and the Green Hydrogen Summit, Zayed Sustainability Prize Forum, and Investor Connect on January 16. ADSW 2025 will culminate with the Masdar City Festival on January 17-18, celebrating innovation and community engagement in sustainability.
