Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President and CEO of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), concluded a week of impactful engagements at Climate Week NYC and 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in New York City, US.
Her Highness spoke at high-level events that addressed key themes of this year’s discussions, including the exponential power of AI in climate action, increasing international climate finance, and the importance of partnerships and cross-sector collaboration to build resilience. These engagements centered on expanding UICCA’s international partnerships while contributing valuable insights and regional perspectives on pressing global climate challenges.
Taking part in a special event on the sidelines of UNGA, titled Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Development, organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UAE, Her Highness Sheikha Shamma discussed how AI can process vast amounts of data, enhance climate modeling, and train language models to facilitate knowledge sharing in Arabic, thereby empowering policymakers and communities most affected by climate change. Her Highness emphasised the importance of ensuring these communities are equipped with accurate information and are actively involved in decision-making processes.
Speaking at ALTÉRRA high-level roundtable titled Supercharging the Climate Transition, Her Highness discussed the potential of blended finance to bridge the climate finance gap and accelerate global climate goals. Her Highness referenced UICCA’s recent report, produced in collaboration with HSBC and Convergence Blended Finance, which highlighted the fragmented nature of international financial systems as a key barrier to aligning available capital with impactful and profitable projects, particularly in developing economies.
At the 2024 Concordia Annual Summit on 24 September 2024, Her Highness participated in a panel on Digital-Financial Literacy as a Vehicle for Economic Inclusion where she highlighted that financial inclusivity is central to a green economy, explaining how it fosters long-term economic growth by ensuring equitable access to both consumption and outcomes. Her Highness emphasised that businesses, alongside policymakers, must play an active role in ensuring equitable access to these resources.
In addition to her speaking engagements, Her Highness Sheikha Shamma met with key leaders and stakeholders to expand and strengthen UICCA’s global partnerships and cross sector collaboration as it relates to UICCA broader portfolio of work and activities. Her meetings included discussions with His Excellency Dr Abdallah Dardari, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP Arab States; Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security; Dena Almansoori, Group Chief AI and Data Officer at e& Group; Poppy Mason-Watts, Chief Growth & Impact Officer at WaterBear; Zainab Salbi, Co-Founder of Daughters for Earth; Surabi Menon, Vice President of Global Intelligence, and Irene Kim, Vice President of Philanthropic Partnerships at ClimateWorks; Jon Clifton, CEO, and Andrew Rzepa, Partner at Gallup; Ann Warner, Interim CEO of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW); Kathleen Alexander, CEO and Co-Founder, and Chiara Cecchini, VP of Commercialization at Savor; Gregory D. Dimitriadis, CEO of the Growthfund, National Fund of Greece; Ambassador Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UNFCCC; and Julius Court, Chief Operating Officer, and Elise Larkin, Chief of Staff at Conservation International.
These engagements further reinforce UICCA’s role in driving impactful climate action through international collaboration and partnerships. Leveraging its convening power and role as a facilitator between the private, public, and third sectors, UICCA focuses on research and policy advocacy, capacity building, expert advisory, and climate tech innovation to support the UAE’s transition to a green economy.
