By ; Saber  Mohamed

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has launched an online campaign to raise awareness on the effects of the coronavirus on achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030. This is part of its efforts to engage all stakeholders in Dubai in achieving sustainable development. The campaign also includes an internal competition and a series of online awareness sessions to enhance the effective role of DEWA’s staff in supporting and implementing the strategies of Dubai and DEWA on social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

The campaign urges DEWA’s employees to post videos in Arabic and English on DEWA’s internal and website, and smart app to highlight the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The videos should also suggest innovative solutions on dealing with these effects, in line with DEWA’s vision to become a globally leading sustainable innovative corporation.

“Our strategies and plans are guided by the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to build a more sustainable environment and find long-term solutions to challenges. This is in accordance with the UN SDGs. As members of United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), we support the substantial role played by the UN in encouraging sustainable progress and SDGs by aligning our work plans, initiatives, programmes, and projects with them. During this period, there is an urgent need to mobilise global efforts to contain the repercussions of the pandemic, enhance efforts to overcome poverty and inequality; as well as address climate change and develop strategic and vital sectors,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

“DEWA is the first government organisation to adopt sustainability in its vision and strategic plan to achieve long-term sustainability goals. DEWA’s sustainability leadership team, which DEWA formed in 2013, works on promoting and implementing sustainability concepts, and highlighting their positive effects for DEWA. Our annual Sustainability Report is a useful, transparent and reliable reference for all our achievements and efforts over the year to attain the goals of the UAE Centennial 2071, to make the UAE the best country in the world. DEWA achieved significant results in the sustainability culture indicator with 89.17% in 2019, exceeding the global average. The indicator is based on several aspects, including leadership in achieving sustainability, strategic commitment to sustainability, innovation in sustainability, training effectiveness, and the awareness level of the sustainable development goals,” added Al Tayer.