2023 the year of sustainability (1)

Faisal Muhammad Al-Shammari

January 23, 2023

The declaration of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, for the year 2023 as the "Year of Sustainability", is a leadership directive to motivate the nation's institutions, pillars, individuals and companies to develop their environmental societal contributions, and an invitation to launch integrated packages of institutional initiatives (including the government and private sectors). ), and even individuals, to address the challenges of global warming and climate change and contribute to the adoption of sustainability as an everyday approach.

This approach also reflects the required balance between a strategic outlook, a long-term vision, and immediate quick solutions. The COP28 conference is just a few months away, when the country will host the world in a calculated balance, with the country's celebrations of the National Day.

Will we see a strategic change at the institutional level and qualitative initiatives?

Such as working remotely for certain groups in the summer to reduce the corporate carbon footprint of refrigeration devices?

Or activate distance education, during a period of high temperatures, for the same reasons?

Will we witness an institutional approach to promote the energy transition, national financing solutions, and legislative changes by some parties, allowing achieving profitability from solar energy generation?

Or will we see a measurement of digital maturity and transformation rates for remote work readiness?

Or how mature the data is and our readiness to publish environmental, social responsibility, governance and compliance reports (ESG)?

As this practice is still voluntary, while we hope that it will turn into a practice motivated by excellence awards and evaluations, or strategic institutional performance indicators.

Sustainability is a strategic approach and institutional thought that calls for changing lifestyles, and simple sacrifices for some unstable postulates. Perhaps the centenary leader’s declaration, this year, as the “Year of Sustainability”, is a tool for change and a miraculous engine for adopting environmental applications and practices that enhance the nation’s position as a global model of sustainability.

• Sustainability is a strategic approach and institutional thought that calls for changing lifestyles.

Management consultant, digital transformation, and certified institutional excellence expert 

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