Dutch frontrunner companies present sustainability pledge to UAE minister H.E Al Zeyoudi

An exclusive dinner at the residence of the Dutch Consul General in Dubai gathered H.E. Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, H.E. Vivianne Heijnen, Minister for the Environment of the Netherlands, as well Dutch and UAE leaders in sustainability and climate action from the private and public sector. Attendees discussed key priorities at COP28 and beyond on how to overcome current climate challenges. The guests comprising of C-suite and sustainability managers of multinationals and start and scale-ups from both the Netherlands and the UAE involved in COP28 engaged in an impactful vegan dinner, which was carefully calibrated to produce a carbon-neutral footprint.

During the dinner, frontrunning companies including Zayed Sustainability Prize winner Kelp Blue, Desolenator, Dgrade, ING, Unilever, and the Port of Rotterdam presented a joint statement in a reusable Dopper bottle to UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade H.E. Al Zeyoudi resonating with the COP28’s slogan of ‘Unite. Act. Deliver.’  With this pledge, the Dutch private sector is signaling a substantial dedication to advancing the climate agenda and collaboration with the government of the UAE.  

H.E. Al Zeyoudi highlighted “The United Arab Emirates and The Netherlands are increasingly united in our vision for long-term, sustainable growth, and are developing new pathways for collaboration in the fields of renewable energy, artificial intelligence, food production, and smart mobility solutions. We believe we can establish a sustainable trade corridor, powered by high-impact joint ventures and investments into new industrial capabilities. By unlocking the ingenuity and energy of the private sector, and providing opportunities for groundbreaking solutions to scale globally, we can create a new economic model capable of meeting the challenge of climate change.”

“The world is falling short of our Climate Goals. It is clear we are not on track. Effective collaboration between the public and private sectors is key. The Frontrunners’ dinner enabled rich discussions amongst the public and private sectors. The private sector has a responsibility and significant role to play, both for climate mitigation as well as climate adaptation. We need to solve global challenges together. Technology and solutions are available, the time to act is now.” stated Feike Sijbesma, Chair of Royal Philips, former CEO of DSM, Co-chair of Global Center on Adaptation, and Co-chair CEO Climate Leaders Alliance (WEF).

Andrew Bester, ING Management Board Member, added “Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time and therefore also one of our strategic priorities. The COP conference and the Frontrunners’ Dinner in particular are places where all relevant players come together. We want to have meaningful conversations with a broad variety of stakeholders and the Frontrunners Dinner is a great event that makes this possible.”

The concept of this event was first used at COP26 in Glasgow and COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh, where the Netherlands British Chamber of Commerce hosted the first Frontrunners’ Dinner. This year, the dinner was again initiated by the Netherlands British Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the Netherlands Business Council, the Embassy and Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the UAE, and the largest employers' organization in the Netherlands, VNO NCW. The event is part of the global campaign “Solving Global Challenges Together of the NL Business Hub Network.

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About the Kingdom of the Netherlands 

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai, represent, support, and protect the interests of the Dutch government in the United Arab Emirates. They provide services to Dutch nationals who live, work, travel, or do business in the UAE. There are approximately 7500 Dutch residents and over 300 Dutch businesses active in the UAE. Including FDI, the total value of bilateral trade between the Netherlands and the UAE totals € 8 billion (AED 32 billion). The Kingdom of the Netherlands’ focus sectors in the UAE are agri-food, water, energy, and healthcare. 

For more information, please visit www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/countries/united-arab-emirates. You can also email dba-ea@minbuza.nl for Dubai and/or abu-ea@minbuza.nl for Abu Dhabi. 

About the Netherlands British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC)

The NBCC is a bilateral non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting and supporting businesses aiming to help our members grow in NL and the UK. With offices in London and The Hague, the NBCC provides the first point of entry for those doing business in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

The NBCC represents the majority of businesses of all shapes and sizes. Membership of the NBCC provides companies with an extensive range of benefits in the areas of building Connections needed to do business, providing Insights to capture opportunities, Representation, acting as a voice of British-Dutch business for real changes to the policies that matter most to business, and supplying Support to improve existing business performance.

For more information, please contact

Lyne Biewinga, The Netherlands British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) E: lbiewinga@nbcc.co.uk or T: +31-(0)6-46178825

About VNO NCW

The Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (known as VNO-NCW) is the largest employers' organization in the Netherlands. VNO-NCW represents the common interests of Dutch business, both at home and abroad, and provides a variety of services for its members. Over 160 (branch) associations are members, representing more than 185.000 enterprises. They cover almost all sectors of the economy, including more than 80% of all medium-sized companies in the Netherlands and nearly all of the larger, corporate institutions.