Khawla Al Mehairi, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and Board Member at Dubai Women Establishment, is participating in the 11th Women's Forum in Deauville, France, from 14-16 October 2015. Al Mehairi is part of the UAE delegation, which includes female leaders from the public and private sectors in the UAE.

The UAE's participation, under the directives of H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of UAE Gender Balance Council President of Dubai Women Establishment and wife of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, underlines the UAE's significant achievements in supporting and enabling women locally and regionally.

Over the three days, the Forum will discuss a number of key topics related to promoting women's roles and enabling them to take part in shaping the future, facilitating interaction, and sharing of expertise and experience across different areas including business, education, science, culture, and energy.

Al Mehairi took part in a discussion panel titled Innovators for Clean Energy, which was moderated by Nina Gardner, Director of Strategy International, and Member of the Women's Forum Programme Committee. Other participants were Enass Abo-Hamed, Founder and CSO of H2GO Power, Tom Miller, Principal at Cambridge Energy Partners, and Sophie Yule, General Counsel at Tempus Energy. Al Mehairi emphasised on the importance of innovation in the energy sector, particularly in renewable and clean energy.

"We have taken a 360-degree approach to innovation, making it an integral part of our strategy and business model. In addition to attracting new investments in energy, especially clean energy, we enhance our expertise in these areas and develop our production capabilities to achieve positive results for everyone," she added.

In the last 10 years, the UAE has made significant progress in energy security, diversification of its sources, increasing efficiency of both production and use, and the shift towards using clean energy to achieve sustainable development and support the UAE Vision 2021 to make the UAE one of the best countries in the world by then. In 2012, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the long-term Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative, to establish the UAE as one of the global leaders in sustainable development, and a global hub for exporting and re-exporting green products and technologies, while maintaining a sustainable environment that supports economic growth in the long run. The initiative includes a range of programmes and policies in energy, agriculture, investment, and sustainable transport, in addition to new environmental and construction policies to raise standards of living in the UAE.

According to Al Mehairi, the UAE's wise leadership realises the importance of preserving our natural resources and ensuring accessibility to energy services and are working to establish the UAE as a centre for renewable energy research and development.

"DEWA's investments in the energy sector will total approximately Dh 60 billion over the next five years. Dh 150 million of this amount is allocated for innovation and research and development. This will enhance production of electricity and water, renewable energy, and smart grids in Dubai," noted Al Mehairi.

"Innovation is a key enabler of long-term success in the clean energy sector. The UAE has declared 2015 as the Year of Innovation, driven by the National Innovation Strategy announced by Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum," she added.
Source: WAM