On 10 May 2023, ahead of the UAE hosting the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 later this year, the Arab International Women’s Forum and the Women in Sustainability, Environment and Renewable Energy platform (WiSER, an initiative of Masdar) joined forces to champion women’s collective spirit for innovation at a major Conference at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London, ‘On the Road to COP28: Women-Led Innovation in Climate, Sustainability & STEM’.
‘On The Road to COP28’ was a major milestone in the AIWF x WiSER partnership, a unique and inclusive opportunity to facilitate new partnerships in the spirit of SDG17 (‘Partnerships for the Goals’) and to ensure women’s voices are front and centre in global conversations about climate action, food security, water resilience, clean energy, the future of work, responsible business, financing sustainability and innovation, and technology and the digital economy. The initiative, designed to foster greater UK-GCC-MENA collaboration, was a vital and unique contribution from the AIWF and WiSER communities to the global dialogue on women’s critical role in mitigating climate change and innovating sustainable, equitable and inclusive solutions towards a better future for people and planet.
Many of the core COP28 topics underpinned the programme and recurred throughout the day’s discussions: capacity-building, climate finance, climate technology, cooperative action on the SDGs, education, youth, gender and innovation.
Session 1, Championing women-led innovation in MENA sustainable agriculture for a food-secure, water-resilient future, was chaired by Haifa Al Kaylani and examined the role of women and technology in sustainable agriculture for a food-secure, water-resilient future, water being the great climate connector, welcoming Julian Lampietti, Manager for Global Engagement in the Agriculture and Food Global Practice, The World Bank, USA; Dr Majd Alnaber, Director of Science for Society Centre, Royal Scientific Society, Jordan; Dr Dalal Al Ghawas, Founder & CEO, Agrifood Consultancy, Singapore; and Sarah Roberts, CEO, Practical Action, UK as speakers.