I Scotland and the UAE Sign MoU Ahead of COP28 Climate Summit
Commenting on the agreement, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy, Neil Gray, said:
“I welcome this progress in further developing Scotland’s relationship with the UAE. Collaboration with UAE and other countries to deepen our economic relations, meet our shared green energy goals, and promote a just transition has never been more important.
“I look forward to this agreement helping us deliver a more sustainable and prosperous economy.”
Neil Gray, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy, signed the agreement in Dubai with his UAE counterpart, His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade .The MoU covers cooperation streams regarding clean energy, education and technology across five key areas of focus
The Scottish Government and the Government of the United Arab Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will see the two governments deepen cooperation ties surrounding bilateral trade, collaboration on breakthrough technologies and education and research (involving AI, Quantum and clean technology).
The wide-ranging MoU was announced at a special ceremony that took place at the Ministry of Economy in Dubai. Mr. Neil Gray, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy and His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, were in attendance to sign the MoU on behalf of their respective governments.
Focusing on five key areas of cooperation, the MOU will strengthen the economic relationship between Scotland and the UAE, further enhancing the government-to-government relationship through increased bilateral engagement, fostering collaboration across clean energy opportunities, as well as cooperation on new breakthrough technologies such as AI, while promoting increased educational links between the two countries.
This MOU cements an existing framework based on a Scotland – UAE task force that was formed in early 2023 and builds on a strong partnership with the Ministry of Economy. As the relationship strengthens one of the key outcomes to look forward to in 2024 will be the delivery of a dedicated business forum that brings together businesses from both Scotland and the UAE, in order to drive forward key economic opportunities.
"The UAE and Scotland are increasingly like-minded partners, two nations who are leveraging technology, innovation, investment and talent to transform our economies and deliver new chapters of success. As we pursue a knowledge economy, one capable of embracing the possibilities of the next 50 years, it is important to exchange insights, expertise and experiences with nations on a similar growth trajectory, and establish joint initiatives in the public, private and academic arenas that can further our economic diversification ambitions. This memorandum signals our intent to deepen our collaboration with Scotland, and build a partnership of long-term benefit."
The agreement was signed during Mr. Gray’s visit to the UAE, where he is currently leading a programme of business engagements ahead of the Scotland’s participation in COP28 next month, and further deepens the already well-established ties between Scotland and the UAE.
Scottish Cabinet Secretary Announces Net Zero Business Delegation for COP28
Scotland’s delegation of leading Net Zero businesses will visit COP28 to showcase the country’s ambition and expertise in net zero solutions.
Neil Gray, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy, has announced a business delegation of 19 Scottish Net Zero-focused companies to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the country’s participation at COP28.
The Cabinet Secretary, whose wide-ranging remit includes energy, support for business, industry, and manufacturing, set out details of the delegation in a visit to the UAE this week (October 25th - 26th) ahead of the world climate forum in Dubai next month.
The Scottish delegation, supported by Scottish Development International and the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, will be aligned with the country’s COP28 ambitions, including a commitment to international partnership on climate change solutions, the provision of fair work and inclusive economic growth.
Mr Gray said: “We have the resources, skills and ambition to advance green energy technologies and accelerate decarbonisation. COP28 will allow us to reaffirm our commitment to reaching net zero and to highlight our innovative companies that can help in that delivery. This will showcase Scotland as an exciting partner for global businesses to achieve their net zero aspirations.
“Scotland was the first country to declare climate change a global emergency in 2019, and we continue to take key steps to build resilience to the wider impacts of climate change. No one country can deliver net zero on its own – international co-operation will be vital."
“The United Arab Emirates was the first Gulf nation to commit to reaching Net Zero by 2050 and is an important market for Scotland. I look forward to discussing opportunities to strengthen collaboration in a number of areas, including energy transition and our mutual net zero goals. Continuing to build trade and investment will play a vital role in helping Scotland build a greener, fairer wellbeing economy and all the benefits that will bring to families, communities and businesses across the country.”
The delegation of 19 industry-leading Net Zero companies builds on the already well-established relationship Scotland enjoys with the UAE, and will showcase its expertise and strength across a range of sectors, including clean and renewable energy, hydrogen, space and other innovative technologies.
As the UAE gears up to host COP28 next month, Scotland’s participation and presence at the global conference presents a valuable opportunity to speak with senior decision-makers and influencers to not only create future collaboration opportunities for Scottish businesses in the UAE and the wider GCC region, but to also share its world-leading energy transition story.
COP28 will further Scotland’s Net Zero interests and showcase its innovation strengths in key net zero sectors, such as energy transition, climate-tech and hydrogen, to a global audience, while increasing business-to-business engagement that can foster future collaboration in meeting the challenges of achieving Net Zero.
The Cabinet Secretary had two days of engagements from Wednesday, 25 October.
Companies being supported to attend business facing events during COP28 include:
aquatera
astroagency
CCU International
D-CAT
Green Bioactives Limited
Hydrogen Vehicle Systems
Krucial
Mocean
Motive Offshore Group
Net Zero Technology Centre
Norco Group
Nova
Orbital Marine Power
ReVentas
Roslin Technologies
Siccar
Solariskit
Storegga
Sunamp
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