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Sheikh Hamdan opens Dubai International Project Management Forum at Expo 2020

More than 1,500 international participants feature in the 7th edition of the forum titled Towards the Future.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, on Wendesday opened the 7th Dubai International Project Management Forum (DIPMF) that's taking place at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The event, featuring more than 1,500 international participants, is being organised by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in collaboration with the Project Management Institute (PMI), Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and DP World.

Sheikh Hamdan was received at the event by Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority.

The Forum’s opening session was attended by a host of dignitaries and top officials of government departments and private entities as well as top international experts and specialists in project management.

During the opening session, the Dubai Crown Prince watched a film about the Forum, that showcased the growth trajectory of Dubai and how it transformed into a prominent global finance and business hub. The movie also featured the Forum’s development over the years.

The theme of the forum, titled Towards the Future, featured keynote addresses from a line-up of well-known and respected local and international speakers.

This edition of the forum is being held at the site of Expo 2020 Dubai, which has been a shining example of how the world has come together to celebrate ingenuity, sustainability and innovation.

"We have launched a 10-year strategy for cultural industries and we look forward to contributing 5% of UAE’s GDP with the participation of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Community Development and the Ministry of Economy," said Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth.

“Culture played an emotional role during the Covid-19 lockdown. The cultural dimension contributed to enhancing the emotional spirit of many people who stayed at home during the peak of the pandemic..

“This turned the crisis into opportunities that helped many people to review their postponed projects, initiatives and plans through reading and reviewing the latest developments and trends of culture, science, economy, finance, and society worldwide,” she added.

Taking part in the panel discussion titled Mega Projects in the UAE were Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure and Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail.

During the discussion, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer highlighted DEWA’s key projects. “Dubai has completed numerous mega projects in the field of energy, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Energy Park, and the Jebel Ali Power Plant; UAE’s largest power production and water desalination plant and one of the three largest power plants in the world. DEWA is currently engaged in various projects to produce clean energy, hence contributing to realising the UAE's vision of achieving zero-carbon emissions by 2050,” said Al Tayer.

He praised the role of modern technology in enhancing the efficiency of clean energy production and storage, noting that the most significant challenges in launching energy projects revolved around the costs incurred, however, the return on investment was expected to cover the costs in the future.

Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications said that Dubai has a brave leader who made it clear to the world that Dubai would build a city for Internet (Dubai Internet City), and today, the UAE is one of the best countries that apply technology worldwide.

“Digital economy in the country is an economy. Today, our economic system provides the opportunity for the UAE to become a platform for the entire world. In the UAE, we employ technology to improve productivity and quality of life,” he said.

Suhail Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure said that the UAE is determined to take the lead in zero-carbon and sustainable clean energy, coinciding with the growth underway and the continued demand for gas.

"Work is currently underway on preparing the national integrated energy model, which is a first step towards designing the future of energy and developing a roadmap for a new phase of sustainability as well as legislation and strategies to raise the private sector’s contribution towards clean energy, and ensuring the reliability of the energy sector. It also touched on plans for the next decade given the growing contribution of clean energy, besides improving energy efficiency and curbing carbon emissions,” Al Mazrouei said.

Shadi Malak said, “The Etihad Rail project is one of the largest projects implemented by the UAE, which constitutes a quantum addition and support to UAE’s agenda at all levels. The project is fully consistent with the country's strategy to achieve zero-carbon, and is an example of environmentally friendly projects with sustainable economic value added to the UAE's GDP.”

ayaz@khaleejtimes.com