Today's Edition
Hala Al Khayyat (ABU DHABI)
The first World Conference on Preserving Blessings commenced in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, and with the participation of several experts and specialists in sustainability, agriculture, food security, environment, and water, both from within the country and abroad.
The conference, organised by the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, is expected to pave the way for a future focused on conservation, fostering international collaboration, and adopting a sustainable approach to waste prevention.
The conference is also a component of the UAE’s endeavours to secure global endorsement for the establishment of the International Day for the Preservation of Blessings. The conference also coincides with the Year of Sustainability, as announced by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Moreover, it forms a pivotal element of the UAE’s preparations to host the 28th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), set to be held in Dubai in November.
The inaugural session of the conference was attended by His Excellency Dr. Hamdan Musallam Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, Hamoud Abdullah Al Junaibi, the acting General Secretary of the Emirates Red Crescent, and a number of ambassadors from friendly and brotherly countries.
During her televised address at the conference’s opening session, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, stressed the imperative of joining international efforts, strengthening partnerships, and sharing experience to confront the worldwide food security challenges and to build a sustainable future where global hunger is eradicated. Her Excellency noted that the nation’s unveiling of the COP28 programme for food systems and agriculture serves as a testament to its unwavering dedication to reshaping global food systems and reducing food waste. She also expressed her gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed for providing her with the opportunity to participate in the first Global Conference for Preserving Blessings.
Her Excellency said: “As we host this global conference, we aim to obtain the signatures of world leaders on the ‘Leaders’ Declaration on Food Systems, Agriculture, and Climate Action’, which would ensure that countries worldwide commit to transforming food systems to be more sustainable, and which will, of course, include adopting innovative solutions to reduce food loss and waste.”
Her excellency went on to explain that this global conference was convened against the backdrop of a pressing issue: food waste, which reaches 14 per cent of annual food production, from harvest to retail sale. An additional 17 per cent of food is wasted at the retail and consumption stages. These alarming statistics emerge at a time when 735 million people are grappling with hunger around the word. It serves as a stark reminder of the challenges humanity faces, especially considering United Nations estimates that, if the global population reaches 9.6 billion by 2050, it will necessitate the resources of three Earth-like planets to sustain current lifestyle habits.
Her Excellency highlighted that the country’s wise leadership has given top priority to bolstering sustainable food security, curbing food waste, and promoting responsible consumption. President His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has called upon the community to be mindful in their food consumption, adopt responsible purchasing habits, and avoid unnecessary excess. This call to action is particularly vital given that food waste stands as one of the cornerstone pillars of the National Food Security Strategy 2051, she said.
Her Excellency also outlined numerous initiatives that the UAE has undertaken to combat food wastage, including the “Stop a Billion Meals” campaign initiated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. This ambitious initiative strives to sustainably provide hundreds of millions of meals for decades to come.
She also drew attention to the national “Nema” initiative, which aims to fulfil the UAE’s commitment to halving food loss and waste by 2030, in alignment with the third and twelfth goals of the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals.
Her Excellency emphasized that stopping food loss and food waste is an integral part of developing a sustainable food system. This is something we are keen to implement in the country, to promote the best and latest sustainable systems in food production and management. This will inevitably reduce food waste throughout the entire food value chain.
Her Excellency emphasised that eradicating food loss and minimising food waste are integral components of developing a sustainable food system. The country is keen on implementing the best sustainable food production and management practices, ultimately leading to a reduction in food waste throughout the entire food value chain, she said.
Discussing the history of the UAE during the conference’s keynote speech, Rashid Mubarak Al Mansouri, Deputy Secretary-General of the UAE Red Crescent Authority for Local Affairs, stated that the conference provides an opportunity to highlight the legacy of sustainability, which is deeply rooted in the history of the UAE.
This legacy was established by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who Al Mansouri described as the first environmentalist, and the driving force behind many environmental protection initiatives.
Al Mansouri said: “This conference adds a new dimension to the UAE Red Crescent’s sustainability initiatives, which stem from its constant pursuit of excellence and leadership in social and environmental responsibility, and humanitarian work in general.”
Al Mansouri went on to outline the conference’s key focus points on future challenges, climate change considerations, and major projects related to the sustainable development goals.
“We look forward to this conference being the first step in the journey of building global consensus around the adoption of the International Day of Preserving Blessings. We aim to launch it from the UAE to the world as an initiative supporting the national food security strategy for 2051. We will spare no effort in achieving this goal, which will have a direct impact on improving global food security,” Al Mansouri added.
Other key focal points of the conference include enhancing environmental awareness and achieving sustainability goals for upcoming generations. It also addressed employing the fourth industrial revolution in various paths of preservation. Another key topic of discussion involved efforts to shift perceptions of waste prevention that are limited solely to food, instead working to broaden awareness on the importance of other types of waste, including clothing, medicine, agriculture products, the environment, energy, and technology”. During the conference, the winners of the “Blessing Preservation” competition, Mariam Younis Al Feel (15 years old) and Mohammad Younis Al Feel (16 years old) were presented. The two shared the success story of their five-year-old project, which involves recycling food waste and converting it into organic fertiliser to revive dead trees.
Student Mariam Al Feel stated, “Our country, the UAE, loves agriculture. We follow in the footsteps of the late founding father Sheikh Zayed, may God have mercy on him, who said that nothing is impossible. He was the first to plant palm trees in the desert, and we continue to uphold the commitment to preserve agriculture.”
Nema initiative aims to fulfil the UAE’s commitment to halving food loss and waste by 2030, in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals
The UN estimates that if the global population reaches 9.6 billion by 2050, it will necessitate the resources of three Earth-like planets to sustain current lifestyle habits
Stopping food loss and food waste is an integral part of developing a sustainable food system
