Artificial intelligence research will play a key role in harnessing global opportunities and creating practical, tangible solutions for increasing AI adoption as well as generating economic and social value, said H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and President-Designate of COP28, during a visit to Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI).

Dr. Al Jaber, who is also the Chairman of MBZUAI, said: “AI adoption across industries will help meet the nation’s goals in advancing technology and diversifying its economy. Projections show AI solutions are on course to contribute an estimated $13 trillion to the global GDP by 2030, optimizing the industries of tomorrow, and dramatically improving the lives of billions of people in the process. We stand on the brink of a technological revolution and MBZUAI is providing a world-leading pipeline of AI specialists, and an ecosystem nurturing industrial collaboration to support the UAE's innovation trajectory.”

During his visit, alongside G42 CEO, Peng Xiao and Professor Eric Xing, President and University Professor of MBZUAI, H.E met with leading researchers from MBZUAI and the Inception Institute of Artificial Intelligence (IIAI) to discuss key research projects that will deliver on UAE national priorities including sustainable environment and infrastructure; world-class healthcare and education systems; and exploring large language models, particularly in Arabic.

The Chairman also met with MBZUAI faculty focusing on the institution’s three core pillars of climate, health, and education, where he reviewed research on energy efficient language models and machine learning systems, maximizing solar energy outputs, and real-time autonomous malaria diagnosis and assessment. Dr. Al Jaber was also given a demonstration of environmentally friendly chatbot – Vicuna – a global collaboration between researchers at MBZUAI, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford, and UC San Diego.

Peng Xiao commented: “The UAE’s unwavering commitment to advancing artificial intelligence and digital transformation is evident in a thriving academic institution like MBZUAI. In the three years since its establishment, MBZUAI has attracted world-renowned researchers from the most prestigious educational institutions globally. This concentration of talent has catalyzed a massive wave of growth in the local AI ecosystem and has helped the UAE build a strong platform for AI development to foster an environment conducive to driving meaningful and sustained innovation, with far-reaching impact across various industries worldwide.”

Dr. Al Jaber also emphasized the role of AI in climate based solutions saying: “AI will contribute to the UAE’s net zero strategic initiative by 2050 and help unlock advances in climate progress. Technologies being developed today have the potential to increase energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and ensure that economic growth and climate progress go hand-in-hand while advances in technologies like artificial intelligence, analytics and robotics will enable us to better decarbonize high emitting sectors, and measure and reduce energy consumption and emissions.”

It is estimated that AI could be used to help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 5.3 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent gases (CO2e) if applied globally, playing a major role in limiting global temperature increases to 1.5C.

During the visit, Dr. Al Jaber was also updated on a joint MBZUAI, IBM project that aims to provide a data engine to identify urban areas in Abu Dhabi with excessive heat, which could be used to inform climate and sustainability policies. With its capability to analyze vast quantities of global data, AI can be used to measure greenhouse gas emissions and climactic trends, and spot potentially important patterns that will prove invaluable to scientists and policy makers.

On his part, Professor Eric Xing said: "MBZUAI is already leading global efforts to develop and deploy sustainable AI solutions and applications as we showcased today. Harnessing the power of AI, we are delivering state-of-the-art research that can solve the world’s most pressing issues such as in healthcare, education, and environmental sustainability. There has never been a greater need for well-trained AI professionals and investments into AI R&D. By pushing the boundaries of AI and continuing to collaborate with key industry leaders for the application of AI solutions, we can have profound social and economic impact. In the recent hype of AI, we must remain focused on its massive potential for good.”

MBZUAI is among 12 UAE-based universities and higher education institutions to join the Universities Climate Network (UCN). The taskforce enables collaboration to advance ambitious climate action nationally and internationally to accelerate positive change for a low-carbon, resilient world. Eight MBZUAI students from eight countries have also been selected to participate in the Climate Ambassadors Program (CAP). They recently took part in an immersive roleplay simulation of a COP28 UAE proceeding, where they were given an opportunity to study, explore, and learn about the diverse challenges nations face due to climate change.

Source: Zawya

Now in its seventh year, the Emirates Soil Museum has become a leading destination for soil researchers, enthusiasts, and environmentally conscious people seeking to broaden their knowledge of soils and their critical role in ecosystems in the UAE and other countries with similar environments.

In 2022 the museum made a number of significant achievements, attracting through its educational offerings over 1,740 people, including school and university students, researchers, and professionals. It ran various activities, events, and programs for corporates, schools, and other institutions to encourage environmental sustainability and behavior.

One of the highlights of the year was a visit by UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This helped to reinforce the museum’s reputation as a crucial repository of information about the UAE’s natural heritage.

Other highlights included a soil exhibition in Dubai jointly with the Save Soil movement led by Sadhguru and a virtual excursion to the museum in collaboration with the Global Soil Museum Network to mark World Soil Day.

Throughout the year, the museum worked with its local partners such as Eedama, Companies for Good, and Goumbook to organize different awareness activities and events around environmental protection and soil conservation.

What is more, in partnership with The Waste Lab, the museum established an on-site composting station at its park to demonstrate sustainable organic waste management. The goal of the composting station was to engage members of the public in composting and educate visitors on different sustainable practices. By November 2022, the program had 96 families participating and learning about the value of composting. The program collected 10,180 kg of food scraps for making compost, which was then used during planting activities at the museum or given to the families.

The museum also hosted and participated in a number of special campaigns and events like “Nature’s Harvest: Growing Sustainably for a Growing World Sustainability @ EXPO” under the Programme for People and Planet at Expo City, Dubai; the Food for Future Summit; “Food for Life” by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE and the Emirates Nature – WWF on Earth Day; and “Food for all” on World Food Day.

To celebrate World Soil Day, the museum also ran a four-week awareness campaign involving 342 professionals from nine organizations. Not only did participants learn about the types of soil found in the UAE and threats to them, but they were also introduced to some of the work done by ICBA to tackle land degradation and planted 359 Ghaf trees. As part of this campaign, the museum, in collaboration with its partner Eedama, also engaged 157 schoolchildren in various learning activities under the slogan “Soils, where food begins”, and hosted a special family day out.

Another campaign managed by the museum continued to raise public awareness about the health and other benefits of cooking and consuming healthy dishes using locally grown halophytic, or salt-loving, crops. Dubbed the Halophytic Kitchen Lab, the program held 10 sessions and trained 494 participants in preparing halophyte-based recipes.

The museum also worked on improving its soil resources and exhibits. For example, the collection of books and references available at the museum library was reviewed and upgraded. And as an extension to the museum library, a soil archive was added to showcase a special collection of soil samples collected during the UAE soil survey in 2006-2009. This archive will be linked through QR codes to Virtual Soil Monolith, an interactive educational tool.

This and other work will enhance the museum’s standing as a unique place of knowledge and education on soils in the UAE and beyond. The museum will continue to increase the number, reach, and impact of its initiatives tailored to inspire action on environmental issues.

Source: International Center for Biosaline Agriculture

The UAE will launch an international eco-education programme to help teach the next generation about crucial efforts to protect the planet.

The Ministry of Education has announced a Green Education Partnership with Unesco and Unicef that will offer schools across the UAE a national framework to support climate education and action among young people.

As many as 1,400 principals and 2,800 teachers will be trained by the ministry with the goal of ensuring half of the country's schools and campuses are 'Green Accredited', ahead of the Cop28 summit in Dubai this year.

The project aims to equip pupils of all ages with the necessary knowledge to bring about a change in attitudes to environmental issues.

Announcing the drive on Tuesday, Ahmad Al Falasi, Minister of Education, said Cop28 would provide a road map for using education to achieve sustainable development goals and combat climate change.

Education sector has critical role to play

“Individual behaviours toward climate change are still the key to making a real impact, and with that comes the significant role of education in shifting minds, actions and attitudes about the environment today, and in the future.

“At the Ministry of Education, we have a critical role to play to advance the role of education in addressing climate change, by building environment-friendly curricula and schools, and training educators to build sustainable green communities,” the minister said at a press conference.

The UAE will host the UN Cop28 summit from November 30 to December 12.

Mr Al Falasi said it would provide an opportunity to mobilise international efforts to include green education in schools in the region and around the world.

Elaborating on the initiative, Dr Amna Al Shamsi, assistant undersecretary for the Care and Building Capacity Sector at the ministry, said the green education strategy would not be introduced as mandatory classes in schools.

Instead it will be incorporated as a framework in all learning and extra-curricular activities.

Greening Schools and Communities

The official said the scheme would be have four core themes — Greening Schools, Greening Learning, Greening Capabilities and Greening Communities — each aiming to achieve a set target.

For instance, the Greening Schools will provide a framework for schools and universities to become more environmentally friendly to reduce their environmental impact, while also promoting sustainable practices among students and the wider community. The ministry said it wants to 50 per cent of the UAE schools to be ‘Green Accredited’ and have more than 70 eco-friendly campuses in the country by the end of the year.

Under Greening Learning, the ministry will introduce guidebooks for the creation of sustainability focused co-curriculum activities based on developing three pillars — knowledge, skills and values. Since 2019, the ministry has teamed up with the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) to develop a cross-curriculum framework to ensure that pupils at all levels are exposed to sustainable development concepts.

“But the new national educational framework endorsed by the UAE will make sure that whatever we create, we are talking a universal language that all other educational systems can adopt,” said Dr Al Shamsi.

“This is not just for Cop. Through the open tool kits we are working on [for UAE schools] we will create an abundance of resources and will allow other countries to build on those resources.”

Under the Greening Capacities segment, Dr Al Shamsi said, master trainers will work in every school to train teachers. A comprehensive programme has been developed alongside Unicef for training 1,400 principals and 2,800 teachers across UAE schools.

There will be at least one master trainer per school. They will receive five days in-person training to implement and deliver the framework with Unicef and an additional 30 hours of online, self-paced training on climate education, said the official.

Under the Greening Communities segment, the Ministry of Education, in partnership with Unesco, is developing a school and university engagement model to promote sustainability in communities. Under this model, each emirate will have its own unique approach to engaging schools and universities in promoting sustainable development.

Pupils will have opportunities for increased community engagement and participation, and green initiatives will involve collaboration between schools, community groups and local government.

First education pavilion at Cop 28

Dr Al Shamsi said the UAE would introduce the first education pavilion to appear at a Cop when it hosts the climate summit in November at Expo City in Dubai.

The pavilion, which will be set up in partnership with Unesco, will act as an international platform to promote climate education teamwork.

“The facility will be the centre to learn how the Ministry of Education has come to tackle climate change actions and what measures we can take to ensure its essential place in the ecosystem,” said the official.

Source: Anjana Sankar, The National

Recent developments in the retail space are geared towards a conscious shift to sustainable means. This year, with Dubai Shopping Festival, Sharaf DG invited electronics donations at their retail outlets to give back to the surroundings in a pivotal way. The e-waste collection drive created a means to encourage individuals to help reduce the carbon footprint.

Families could bring old and used accessories, smartphones, laptops, tablets and other hard goods to Sharaf DG and get Gift vouchers for contributing to the noble cause. A whole hearted contribution turn this into the largest e-waste collection drive of its kind in the region with 25 kilo tons of E-waste collected. And YES Solutions responsibly supported the endeavour by recycling the collection.

Creating solutions for nature has steered the team to drive several initiatives for sustainable growth. Sharaf DG went paperless and encourages customers to accept green bills over emails. Cloth and paper bags have been introduced at all the stores to take home premium products in green covers. Added to that, collecting used electronics for recycling and extending their life purpose. A well rounded approach has helped gain and serve the environment consistently since they first began.

The e-waste collection drive is a strong force directed towards livelihoods on the larger front. It incentivises businesses, families and stakeholders which keeps the cycle moving. Sharaf DG has truly sowed the seeds for a greener tomorrow this season and hopes to continue making a sustainable shift through future endeavours. If you wish to contribute to the cause or are a brand and wish to partner with us in the initiative, visit the nearest Sharaf DG store.

Recycling old technology greatly helps nurture our very own green cover by reducing the consumption of all that destroys it. When we donate them, we prevent the impact it creates on the environment and hence reduce their footprint. Wondering how? Did you know, UAE alone produces 162 kilo tons of e-waste every year! Digest that.

Source: Zawya

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and RECAPP by Veolia have partnered to promote aluminium recycling across the UAE’s schools and universities.

The initiative will start with 12 schools near the EGA’s operations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In addition, RECAPP will manage the deployment of recycling drop-off locations that are easily accessible to students to help generate more interest and awareness among young people about recycling.

RECAPP by Veolia is a member of the Aluminium Recycling Coalition, founded by the EGA earlier this year to bring the company together with can-makers, beverage producers and waste management companies to promote aluminium recycling in the UAE.

Abdulnasser bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said, "Aluminium is an infinitely-recyclable material, vital for creating a sustainable society. Despite its potential, too much aluminium is discarded in the UAE, impacting our economy and environment. 

“Our partnership with RECAPP by Veolia aims to transform this behaviour by engaging young people, who are most receptive to change and have the greatest stake in our collective future. By fostering a culture of sustainability and environmental stewardship, we empower the next generation to become leaders in environmental responsibility, paving the way for a more sustainable and circular economy."

Jérôme Viricel, General Manager of RECAPP at Veolia Near & Middle East, said, “Closing the aluminium recycling loop in the UAE requires multiple solutions that encourage consumers to the right behaviour and make it simple and rewarding. By working hand-in-hand, we will support national sustainability efforts through promoting the recycling reflex and diverting waste from landfill.”

RECAPP is a digital recycling solution for individuals and businesses with some 52,000 users in the UAE. It is centred on an app that enables its members to order a collection of their recyclables from their location and, in return, receive discounts in a dedicated marketplace. 

Last November, RECAPP by Veolia launched GoRECAPP.com, the first B2B digital recycling platform in the UAE, which enables businesses to deploy recycling boxes on their premises.

Recycling aluminium takes 95 per cent less energy than making new metal. Last year, the EGA announced it intends to build the largest aluminium recycling facility in the UAE.

Source: Esraa Esmail/ Rola AlGhoul - Emirates News Agency - WAM

In line with UAE Net Zero 2050 and the UAE’s direction towards sustainable economic development and industrial decarbonisation, the Ministry of the Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) is hosting high potential technology start-ups with a focus on sustainability and decarbonisation to participate in a start-up competition launched ahead of COP28.

The Ministry created the Make it in the Emirates Start-up Competition to provide technology start-ups with a platform where they can meet investors and network with policy makers and industry partners.

The competition invites transformative start-ups seeking to have a global impact to showcase and pitch new innovations and technologies and provides them with the opportunity to learn from some of the best and brightest minds working in the fields of sustainability, manufacturing and technology. The competition will also provide the startups with the opportunity to further develop and deploy their technologies in the UAE in collaboration with various industry partners.

The Make it in the Emirates Startup Competition seeks to enable forward-looking technology startups with pioneering sustainability related innovations that can transform and green existing industries, while also seeding the green industries of the future.

Taking place at the Make it in the Emirates Forum from 31st May to 1st June, the competition is open to just 24 start-ups from all over the world. Startups from various sectors with a focus on sustainability, decarbonization-and digitalization are welcomed to apply.

Tariq Al Hashimi, Director of Advanced Technology Adoption and Development at MoIAT, said, “We are living in an age in which start-ups have the power to disrupt entire industries and rewrite the playbook. These startups also have promising solutions for some of the world’s most pressing issues including climate change. However, access to funding and other enablers remains a huge challenge for startups all over the world. That is why the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology is leveraging the Make it in the Emirates Forum as platform to provide promising tech-driven, sustainability-focused companies with a stage at one of the region’s largest and most attended industrial investment events to pitch, learn and connect."

Al Hashimi added, “Start-ups participating in the competition will be able to access unique investment and collaboration opportunities, as well as get exposed to a suite of incentives offered by the UAE’s Advanced Technology ecosystem. The Ministry is committed to supporting companies of all sizes as part of our mission to create an industrial and technology ecosystem that generates inclusive and sustainable economic growth.”

Start-ups can apply here: 
https://moiat.typeform.com/to/EiBm1pnJ. Applications close on 5th May 2023.

The 24 start-ups will initially be selected from the pool of submissions based on the innovation they have demonstrated, their disruptive potential, their scalability and sustainability, as well as their marketing potential, competitive advantage, and positive social impact.

The judging panel will include representatives from Aspire, EDGE Group, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, Technology Innovation Institute, Dubai Industrial City, UAE University and Strata.

The competition is one of several initiatives launched under the Make it in the Emirates umbrella. Make it in the Emirates aims to attract investors, industrialists and innovators to the UAE to benefit from the country’s competitive advantages.

In 2022, MoIAT launched the inaugural Make it in the Emirates Forum, which received the attendance of around 1,800 stakeholders, including investors from around the world. The forum resulted in offtake agreements worth AED 110 billion with national enterprises committing to purchase more than 300 products from local suppliers to support their future growth plans.

Source: Khoder Nashar, Emirates News Agency - WAM

As more companies in the UAE look to offer innovative solutions to help tackle climate change, one organisation in Abu Dhabi is aiming to transform the construction and events industry by turning landfill waste into a replacement for plywood.

Terrax, which is owned by husband-and-wife duo Theresa and David Wernery, along with their partner Cameron Cairns, is bringing technology from Brazil to the warehouses of Mussaffah in a bid to offer a more sustainable solution to developers and contractors.

Construction plywood has a heavy toll on the environment, the company says on its website.

The process of harvesting and manufacturing causes air and water pollution, while shipping it to the UAE, where it is not made locally, is expensive and environmentally unfriendly. In many parts of the world, deforestation also has to happen in order to create the product.

“It’s used a lot in construction and events for stand building,” Ms Wernery told The National.

“For events, it’s single-use. In construction, it’s used for concrete pouring. You can generally use it six to 12 times maximum and then it goes to a landfill."

“You can buy good quality forestry-certified plywood but most construction companies don’t. Standard plywood often comes from unsustainable sources.”

Once they realised this, the trio — who also have a company that manufactures recycled flooring tiles that were used across the Expo 2020 Dubai site — set about looking for a solution. In their search, they came upon a father-and-son team in southern Brazil who have been using a technology since 2006 that utilises unwashed and unsegregated waste that can be extruded into all manner of products.

“It can make boards, replacing plywood boards, but you can also do plastic composite stuff like decking, pergolas and cladding,” Ms Wernery explained.

They will also make formwork and shuttering products for the construction industry, as well as hoarding, fencing, pallets, countertops and more.

“It’s a really interesting technology because the waste doesn’t need to be washed, which is important for this part of the world," she said.

Another plus point is that the plywood replacement product has more than 100 uses.

The waste used in the machine that is due to arrive in the UAE in September, would otherwise go straight to a landfill.

“We don’t want to use any good plastics — the good stuff that can be recycled and ought to be. Our input material will be like Tetra Pak [plasticised cartons for milk and other liquids], which can’t be recycled here in the UAE. Or carpet waste, which is generally not easily recycled globally,” she said.

They also use fibreglass, multi-layer packaging, films, crisp packets and other non-recyclable items and materials, she said. To source it all, they’ll work with waste management companies across the country.

While Ms Wernery is confident in the product, she said the company has faced hurdles in terms of suppliers understanding the benefits, while the lack of producer responsibility legislation is an added challenge.

On the other hand, she said, they need to be competitive against suppliers of normal plywood.

“It’s not a bad thing in many ways. It makes you lean, makes you look at your business, price sensitivity is a big thing," she said.

Master developers such as Emaar and Aldar, too, are pushing their construction companies in the right direction, and trial runs in the UAE have so far been successful, she added.

The journey to get to this point has taken time and, along the way, the team self-funded using income from their existing business. But it’s worth it, said Ms Wernery.

“To solve these problems we need solutions, scalable solutions, physical hardware, otherwise we can’t process waste," she said.

“It’s a physical by-product of our existence and as long as we produce the volumes we produce here, there needs to be a physical solution.”

Source: Katy Gillett, The National

Abu Dhabi has fined a total of 76 food outlets for failing to comply with safety, hygiene and sustainability standards.

In a statement, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) said it has launched an extensive inspection campaign to enhance food safety and reduce food waste across 4,491 food establishments during Ramadan. The campaign, which started a week before the holy month, focused on verifying compliance with food safety regulations, enforcing legislation, and promoting the health of food establishments and the community.

Penalties

Among the 4,491 establishments, 76 were fined, whereas 1,628 were given warnings. Another 256 outlets were asked to pay greater attention to their practices.

The Adafsa said a total of 2,531 establishments however met all safety and sustainability requirements. In addition, 12,460 establishments in the Abu Dhabi emirate have begun self-monitoring operations to cut food waste.

Abu Dhabi sees up to an 8% increase in food waste, amounting to up to 1,500 tons of wasted food, by the end of Ramadan.

The Adafsa inspection campaigns targeted all establishments within the food chain, including supermarkets, restaurants, distribution centres, food stores, catering companies, and markets selling meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits. Approved procedures were followed to correct any malpractices and ensure access to the highest levels of food safety during Ramadan.

Awareness campaign

The inspection campaign is complemented by an awareness campaign aimed at educating the public about reducing food waste’s harmful effects economically and environmentally. The campaign provides guidance on preserving food, encouraging optimal usage, and changing community behaviours towards food. It emphasises meal planning, determining appropriate quantities of food, safe and correct storage, and handling practices.

Source: Samihah Zaman, Gulf News

Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) has launched a new green finance framework for the issuance of green bonds, sukuks, loans, and other key debt instruments.

Proceeds from these new offers will go to eligible green projects including renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable water and wastewater management, clean transportation, and terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity. Projects that are being financed under the Framework will contribute to TAQA’s 2030 ESG targets, as well as its long-term Net Zero goal.

TAQA’s Green Finance Framework is aligned with the global best practices set out under the four core components of the Green Bond Principles 2021 published by the International Capital Market Association (ICMA).

TAQA has also obtained a Second Party Opinion (SPO) from Moody’s Investor Services (Moody’s). Moody’s has also assessed the framework and given it a Sustainability Quality Score of SQS2 (Very Good), the second-highest score under Moody’s SPO scoring framework – which means it demonstrates a significant contribution to sustainability.

In late December 2020, it was announced that US $1bn in financing would kick off world’s largest solar project and, in mid January 2022, TAQA and Etisalat Digital joined forces for an advanced metering infrastructure project.

TAQA’s Group CEO and Managing Director Jasim Husain Thabet said the green finance framework was an important mechanism to help the group finance the journey towards achieving its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, as a low carbon power and water champion.

“This framework is further evidence of how serious we are about putting sustainability and responsible business practices at the heart of everything we do, as we also support the UAE in achieving its Net Zero by 2050 objective. Our own emission reduction targets are backed by a business plan and credible green projects that will see us play a key role in de-carbonising the power and water sector and other industries in the UAE and worldwide,” he explained.

In late 2022, the Abu Dhabi energy group announced its 2030 ESG Strategy, which included interim greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals. As a credible step towards achieving its Net Zero ambitions by 2050, TAQA has committed to a 25% reduction of Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 across the Group, including a 33% reduction of the UAE portfolio emissions compared to the 2019 baseline.

In mid August 2022, TAQA reported a 50% increase in net income to $1.17bn for H1 2022.

Source: Paul Godfrey, Middle East Construction News

Abu Dhabi Customs has recycled 578 counterfeit goods of international trademarks valued at AED2 million, seized by customs centres during 2022 and the first quarter of 2023.

The counterfeit goods, which were recycled to convert into materials usable in other fields, included leather accessories such as bags and clothes, watches and belts, cotton and sports clothes, in addition to a number of smart devices such as wired and wireless headphones.

Counterfeit goods which could not be recycled were destroyed after completion of environmental and legal requirements at Abu Dhabi Airport Customs Center’s Logistics Zone in the presence of Shredex, a company that specialises in recycling operations, and representatives of relevant trademark owners.

Fahed Gareeb Alshamsi, Executive Director of the Support Services Sector at Abu Dhabi Customs, said, “Intellectual property rights protection constitutes a top priority for Abu Dhabi Customs in light of the most important strategic objectives of UAE to achieve global leadership in the field of creativity and innovation.

“We firmly believe that we are the first line of defence to protect society and its economy from commercial fraud. Therefore, we are constantly working in cooperation with strategic partners to intensify efforts to prevent smuggling of counterfeit and adulterated goods to the markets by supporting the security readiness of customs centres and enhancing their inspection capabilities with the latest technology-based detection devices and advanced techniques, increasing the efficiency of Abu Dhabi Customs inspectors and their ability to distinguish between original and counterfeit products and goods, as well as prompting partnerships and cooperation with trademark owners to protect the safety of society.

“By recycling counterfeit goods to preserve the environment and protect it from damages that contradict the applicable environmental protection laws in the UAE, this will educate consumers on using or trading in counterfeit goods. This will contribute towards society, the country's economy and the importance of protecting intellectual property rights to enhance the process of sustainable development for business continuity and economic prosperity.”

Source: Wam