The road travelled, the road ahead

1. The road travelled, the road ahead A partnership i to champion sustainability in Abu Dhabi CSR in a Dynamic Economy Embassies of Norway and The Netherlands in cooperation with UAE CSR and ADCCI 7 February 201 I, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, UAE

2. Content What are we talking about: Sustainability I About us: The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group II The road travelled: Laying the foundations III Achievements: Unleashing transparency through reporting IV The road ahead: From reporting to action V

3. Sustainability: What are we talking about? • About sustainability • Sustainabilitywas defined for the first time in 1987 by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development as A development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. • The primary goal of sustainability is meeting the basic needs of all and extending to all opportunities for a better life. It refers to three type of needs: • Economic needs (access to wealth to cover, at least, basic human needs) • Environmental needs (access to clean and safe environment and clean and safe products and services) • Social needs (a catch-all dimension, includes access to work, education, health, and culture amongst other needs). About sustainability management and reporting To achieve sustainability, organizations can commit to adopt sustainability management practices, that is the systematic management of economic, environmental and social performance with the goal of optimizing benefits for both, business and society. To communicate progress regarding sustainability, organizations can commit to sustainability reporting, that is the incorporation of economic, social and governance information into public reporting in a systematic way that is linked to strategy and management processes.

4. Sustainability: why is it relevant to us? • About environmental sustainability • HH Sheikh Zayed is remembered for his deep interest in his country's landscape, wildlife, and notably an unwavering determination to realize even the most ambitious goals. In a speech he delivered to mark the UAE's first Environment Day in February 1998, he articulated his beliefs: • "We cherish our environment because it is an integral part of our country, our history and our heritage. On land and in the sea, our forefathers lived and survived in this environment. They were able to do so only because they recognized the need to conserve it, to take from it only what they needed to live, and to preserve it for succeeding generations. • With God's will, we shall continue to work to protect our environment and our wildlife, as did our forefathers before us. It is a duty, and, if we fail, our children, rightly, will reproach us for squandering an essential part of their inheritance, and of our heritage". About co-responsibility and economic and social sustainability While HH Sheikh Zayed acknowledged the responsibility that government must assume in conserving the natural environment, he also called upon individuals to play a role in ensuring the region developed sustainably, not only from an environmental perspective but also from a social and economic point of view. Source: Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, HH Sheikh Zayed: A Special Tribute. Quoted by Zayed Future Energy Prize.

5. Content What are we talking about: Sustainability I About us: The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group II The road travelled: Laying the foundations III Achievements: Unleashing transparency through reporting IV The road ahead: From reporting to action V

6. ADSG: About us The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group (ADSG) is a partnership initiative to champion sustainability in Abu Dhabi established in June 2008 with the support of public and private organizations. Our mission: as stated in the ADSG Charter, the Group promotes sustainability management in Abu Dhabi by providing learning and knowledge sharing opportunities for government entities, private companies and not for profit organizations in a spirit of cooperation and open dialogue. • Our commitment: as stated in the ADSG Declaration, that has to be signed by all members, signatories shall adopt best economic, environmental and social sustainability management practices and publish an annual sustainability report explaining their sustainability approach and evaluating their environmental, economic and social performance. • Our members: At present the ADSG has 22 members representing key sectors and is open to organizations willing to champion sustainability in Abu Dhabi.

7. ADSG: Our commitment The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group Declaration We, the undersigned, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group founding members Hereby declare our commitment to work together in adopting sustainability as the fundamental approach in developing and executing strategic policies and using integrated management of our economic, environmental and social performance for the purpose of realizing the vision of H. H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and the vision of Abu Dhabi Emirate to achieve sustainable development, build a cohesive society and an open economy capable of global competitiveness. We commit ourselves to do everything in our power, with our partners in this group, through the introduction of sustainability management practices, to improve management methods and decision making, reduce risks, and encourage use of technological applications to support sustainable economic and social growth. We also commit to publishing an annual report that explains our sustainability management approach and an evaluation of our environmental, economic and social performance. We pledge this in a spirit of cooperation and open dialogue to ensure the highest levels of transparency; and we commit to supporting national plans and strategies.

8. ADSG: Our members Government departments and agencies (8) • Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry* (Commerce & Industry) • Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority* (Tourism) • Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (Construction) • Department of Municipal Affairs* (Construction) • Department of Economic Development – Abu Dhabi* (Economy) • Department of Transport – Abu Dhabi *(Transport) • Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi* (Environment Protection) • Health Authority - Abu Dhabi *(Health)  Government Owned and Private companies (11)  • Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Transport) • Abu Dhabi National Oil Company* (Oil and Gas) • Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority* (Water and Energy) • Aldar properties* (Construction) • Aramex Abu Dhabi* (Logistics) • Dolphin Energy* (Energy) • Etihad Airways (Transport) • Higher Corporation for Specialized Economic Zones* (Construction) • Masdar - Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Energy) • Mubadala Development Company (Investment) • National Bank of Abu Dhabi *(Financial services) • Sorouh Properties* (Construction) Not for profit organizations (2) •  Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy* (Social Development) • Khalifa Fund (Support to SMEs) * Members reporting on sustainability performance as of 08/07/2010

9. Content What are we talking about: Sustainability I About us: The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group II The road travelled (2008-2010): Laying the foundations III Achievements (2010) : Unleashing transparency through reporting IV The road ahead (2011-2013): From reporting to action V

10. 2008-2010: Laying the Foundations Reaching out (2010) Launching (2008) Laying the foundations (2009-2010) May 2008 Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) launches its first Sustainability Report. H.E. Mohamed Al Bowardi, Secretary General of the AD Executive Council and Managing Director of EAD calls for the establishment of the ADSG. June 2008 The ADSG is established On June 30th. fifteen founding members sign the ADSG Declaration committing to adopt sustainability management and reporting practices: ADCCI, ADNOC, ADTA, ADWEA, DMA, DED, DOT, EAD, HAAD, ZonesCorp, Aldar, Dolphin, NBAD, Sorouh, Emirates Foundation. November 2008 The General Secretariat is established with two permanent members: the General Secretariat of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, and five elected members: ADCCI, ADWEA, Aldar, Dolphin Energy, Emirates Foundation. March 2009 The ADSG Charter is approved by the founding members stating the mission, goals, governance and members’ rights and duties. The ADSG action plan 2009 is approved. Training activities are initiated with three workshops: The roadmap towards sustainability, Sustainability reporting and Stakeholder management. May 2009 One-on-One technical support starts to provide assistance to members to document their business cases for sustainability. June 2009 EAD sets up a sustainability unit to provide strategic and operational support to the ADSG General Secretariat and its members. The CEO/MD Leadership Group meets in a gala dinner to celebrate the ADSG first anniversary. EAD issues its second sustainability report. Sorouh issues its first sustainability report. July-December 2009 The ADSG approves the membership criteria and membership process, the range of products and services to be delivered to members, and the logo. A member task force starts the design of the agenda for the first Abu Dhabi Annual Sustainability Forum. Training needs are assessed through a survey. ADCCI issues its first sustainability report. Masdar City, Urban Planning Council (UPC) and Aramex join the ADSG. January-March 2010 The ADSG action plan 2010 is approved. The ADSG website starts to be designed and developed. Training activities continue with a workshop on sustainability reporting. Etihad Airways and Mubadala Development Company join the ADSG. April-June 2010 Training activities continue with a workshop on Transparency in the Value Chain; Quarterly meetings are open to guest speakers; Four flagship programs are launched; Khalifa Fund joins the ADSG. ADSG leads a Delegation of 13 members to the Amsterdam Global Conference on Sustainability and Transparency. July –December 2010 The ADSG Portal and newsletter are launched. 15 founding members develop their sustainability reports. The ADSG first annual report 2008-2010 and Strategy 2011-2013 are presented during the CEO/MD Leadership Group meeting. CEOs provide recommendations. Training activities continue with a workshop on social compliance. Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) joins the ADSG.

11. 2008-2010: Laying the Foundations Reaching out (2010) Launching (2008) Laying the foundations (2009-2010)

12. Content What are we talking about: Sustainability I About us: The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group II The road travelled (2008-2010): Laying the foundations III Achievements: (2010): Unleashing transparency through reporting IV The road ahead (2011-2013): From reporting to action V

13. 2010: Unleashing Transparency • Abu Dhabi ranked first in the world for number of sustainability reports issued by public agencies in 2010 • 10 reports from public entities (agencies and SOEs):ADCCI, ADNOC, ADTA, ADWEA, DMA, DED, DOT, EAD, HAAD, ZonesCorp • 4 reports from private companies: Aldar, Dolphin, NBAD, Sorouh • 1 report r from the not-for-profit organizations: Emirates Foundation • 6 reports in the pipeline: UPC,ADAC, Etihad, Masdar, Mubadala, Khalifa Fund As a result of the support provided by the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group, an initiative backed by the Executive Council and coordinated by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi in cooperation with the 22 ADSG members, the number of reporting organizations in the Emirate has increased from 3 in 2009 to 15 in 2010. This makes Abu Dhabi, with 10 sustainability reports published by government entities, the territory with the highest number of reports released by the public sector worldwide. This data is supported by the results of the study issued by the Global Reporting Initiative in 2010 titled GRI Reporting in Government Agencies. According to the report, only 21 out of 1,227 sustainability reports published in 2009 in the GRI Reports List (as of 13/01/2010), were released by public agencies. Two of the 21 reports were issued in Abu Dhabi by the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI), both ADSG members. Australia and Korea had the highest number of reports published in 2009, 4 reports each. Other reporting countries were the UK, Sweden, and Canada. The Abu Dhabi Government aims to be one of the best five governments in the world by 2030. Sustainability and transparency are increasingly seen as a necessary requirement to achieve government and business excellence, as reflected in the EFQM model 2010 that has included the concept of “Taking responsibility for a sustainable future”. By encouraging the practice of sustainability reporting, the ADSG expects to contribute to this vision.

14. Content What are we talking about: Sustainability I About us: The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group II The road travelled (2008-2010): Laying the foundations III Achievements (2010): Unleashing transparency through reporting IV The road ahead (2011-2013): From reporting to action V

15. Strategy 2011/2013: Overview Our vision Our mission Our goals • Sustainability management and reporting practices are widely adopted and are considered a competitive advantage for organizational success in Abu Dhabi.  To promote sustainability management in Abu Dhabi by providing learning and knowledge sharing opportunities for government, private companies and not for profit organizations, in a spirit of cooperation and open dialogue. • Raise awareness and understanding. • Facilitate the adoption of best practices. • Provide a forum for experience sharing and learning. • Support sustainability initiatives within Abu Dhabi. • Create opportunities for international cooperation and recognition. • Build and excellent, autonomous and sustainable organization.

16. Strategy 2011/2013: P&S Mission To promote sustainability management in Abu Dhabi by providing learning and knowledge sharing opportunities for government entities, private companies and not for profit organizations Products & Services Strategic Goals • Portal • Newsletter (quarterly) • Publications • Seminars (on demand) Knowledge Goal 1: Raise awareness and understanding of sustainability management and reporting principles and practices • Training meetings (quarterly) • Training programs (on demand) • Trainer of trainers (on demand) • One-on-One support • Mentoring • Benchmarking • External assurance • Awards Capabilities Goal 2: Facilitate the adoption of sustainability management and reporting practices Experience sharing Goal 3: Provide a forum for experience sharing and learning about good governance, sustainability management and reporting practices • General Secretariat meetings • Forum quarterly meetings • CEO/MD meetings • Annual Sustainability Forum Advocacy Goal 4: Support sustainability initiatives within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi • Sustainable procurement, • Sustainable ICT • Sustainable Waste management • Sustainable labor practices • Education for sustainability • Flagship programs Networking Goal 5: Create opportunities for international cooperation and recognition • Affiliations • Partnerships • Conferences Performance management • Strategic & Operational planning • Operations • Assessment and Reporting Goal 6: Build and excellent, autonomous and sustainable organization

17. Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group Strategy 2001/2013 - From Reporting to Action Our mission To promote sustainability management in Abu Dhabi by providing learning and knowledge sharing opportunities for government, private and not for profit organizations in a spirit of cooperation and open dialogue Our values and principles *Responsibility: We all share responsibility for our common present and future* Accountability: We are answerable for our impacts on our stakeholders * Transparency: We ensure the timely and accurate disclosure of all material issues

18. Strategy 2011/2013: Example Flagship programs: Achieving change through collective impact • What is collective impact? • "The commitment of a group of important actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem” • Through flagship programs we expect to meet five conditions for collective success: • A common agenda: shared definition of the problem and of the goals to address it • A common measurement system : shared indicators to measure and report outcomes • Mutually reinforcing activities : an overarching plan of action to coordinate all the parties in their different capabilities • Continuous communication: monthly meetings and web-based tools • Backbone support organization : the ADSG • Kania & Kramer (2011): “Collective impact” . Standford Social Innovation Review . Winter 2011 (http://www.ssireview.org/pdf/2011_WI_Feature_Kania.pdf)

19. Eva Ramos Senior Sustainability Specialist Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi eva.ramos@ead.ae www.adsg.ae Thank you