UAE's MoEI participates in international roadshow programme 'GMIS Connect' in Italy

Co-chaired by the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), GMIS held the Trieste Roadshow under the theme 'Powering Sustainable Manufacturing: The Rise of Green Hydrogen'.

It brought together UAE and Italian leaders from government, the public and private sector, academia, and international organisations to explore green hydrogen technologies, effective policies, and strategies to navigate the climate crisis in the context of manufacturing and beyond.

Other prominent participants included leaders from UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office - Italy, DANIELI Group, Confindustria, Emirates Steel Arkan, the World Trade Centre Trieste, Trieste International Foundation for Progress and Freedom of Sciences, the University of Trieste, and Hydrogen Europe Research, amongst others.

The roadshow reinforced the shared mission of the UAE and Italy to enable a hydrogen economy and combat climate change. MoEI leads the local drive of scaling up green hydrogen production and deployment.

Sharif Al Olama, Under-Secretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs at MoEI, delivered a keynote highlighting the recent launch of the UAE's National Hydrogen Strategy 2050 and the key enablers to accelerate global hydrogen production. These include developing a robust regulatory framework and necessary infrastructure, allocating the necessary funds, attracting direct foreign investments, enabling research and development, fostering innovation, and global collaboration.

Al Olama said, "I would like to take this opportunity to give the North Adriatic region an open invitation to the UAE to come and see what we have established, to come and see what opportunity is out there, and to come and actually witness the investment environment, the ease of doing business, and the potential opportunities for having a future hydrogen economy. The challenges are big. The global demand is going to be big, and we are up for that challenge. We have a vision that is led by our leadership, and we have a proven track record of delivering. I want to send this open invitation to all potential investors - come to the UAE, explore the UAE, and invest in the UAE."

Nasser Al Khaja, Trade Attache of the UAE Embassy in Italy, delivered a virtual keynote, underscoring the pivotal role of COP28 UAE in developing a clear roadmap to accelerate progress through a pragmatic global energy transition. Emphasising inclusivity in climate action, Al Khaja, said, "With a shared vision for global action toward a sustainable future and a mutual belief in the value of collaboration, both the UAE and Italy have set ambitious goals for carbon neutrality, invested in renewable energy sources, implemented policies to promote green technological solutions, and committed to developing a sustainable economy hinged on green hydrogen."

Addressing an international audience attending from across Italy, Croatia, Serbia Austria, Slovenia and joining virtually from global markets, Fabio Scoccimarro, Regional Minister for Environmental Defense, Energy, and Sustainable Development said, "Today's theme, powering sustainable manufacturing, is of critical importance, given that most of the region's growth and wealth achieved in the last decades, was obtained thanks to the contribution of the industrial and manufacturing sector. It is therefore an honour for us to be chosen for the second time as the venue for a GMIS Connect roadshow.

"I would like to stress the conviction and commitment of the Friuli Venezia Giulia to invest in green hydrogen not as a utopian panacea, but as a useful and essential component of such climate action portfolio that all together - European and non-Europeans countries, the public and private sector - we must implement to achieve what I believe to be our shared goal: to continue to have a high-performing industrial sector, while developing an eco-friendly manufacturing practice which we should morally pass down to future generations."

Namir Hourani, Managing Director of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit, said, "The Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit embodies the UAE's unwavering commitment to shaping a sustainable future for global manufacturing. From its inception in 2016, the Summit has been dedicated to fostering inclusive and sustainable industrial development. We are thrilled to bring our international roadshow programme, GMIS Connect, to the city of Trieste for the second time, where we explored the pivotal role of green hydrogen and its crucial contribution to decarbonising industries.

Diana Battaggia, Head of UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Italy, said, "As the Italian Investment and Technology Promotion Office of UNIDO, we are proud to collaborate in order to facilitate and promote a global dialogue on sustainable manufacturing and the transformative possibilities of green hydrogen. Our aim is to encourage partnerships and knowledge sharing between Italian stakeholders and international key actors by serving as a catalyst and facilitator."

GMIS Connect - Trieste was held alongside the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region's Hydrogen Week from 13th to 15th November 2023, featuring a workshop focused on hydrogen production and storage, a dedicated session focused on the role of research in the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley, and site visits organised on 13th and 15th November. The visits included Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, a multidisciplinary research centre of excellence specialised in generating high-quality synchrotron and free-electron laser light, and Faber Industry, a global industry leader specialising in the design, manufacturing and, testing of high-pressure gas cylinders and systems.

GMIS Connect - Trieste marks another step in the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit's global initiative to drive sustainable manufacturing and foster international collaboration. The event's success reaffirms the commitment of the UAE and Italy to a cleaner, more sustainable industrial future.(ANI/WAM)