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Climate should be at the top of everyone's agenda, sustainable development expert and Cop28 speaker Saudi Princess Noura bint Turki Al Saud has said.
Princess Noura and Princess Mashael Saud Al Shalan are co-founders of Aeon, a Riyadh-based sustainable development advisory firm that specialises in strategy and policy design and project management.
In an exclusive interview with The National, the princesses told how Saudis are striving to meet environmental challenges, with youth taking a prominent role.
A leading figure on sustainability in the kingdom and an advisory board member of the International Energy Agency intergovernmental organisation, Princess Noura will be speaking at Cop28, which opens in Dubai on Thursday.
While the UN climate change summit at Expo City Dubai has a tough challenge in keeping global temperature rises to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, Princess Noura believes change is possible – but to achieve that all parties must get involved.
“You need every player, every sector to play a role in that and I think that's what we're trying to do,” she said.
“Climate should be on the top of everyone's agenda.”
We're very excited about Cop28. But if you're really serious, you have to think of Cop30. You have to think of this longer-term trajectory
Princess Mashael Saud Al Shalan,
co-founder of Aeon
Princess Noura said Cop28 was all about engaging with people from all across the board.
The summit is vital for “building bridges from a diplomatic aspect, having conversations with people from across the globe from the policy side and from the civil society”, she said.
But Princess Mashael, who guides Aeon’s overall strategy, thinks a longer view is needed.
“If you're really serious, you have to think of Cop30. You have to think of this longer-term trajectory,” she said.
“How can you push certain mandates from ideas on a piece of paper to things that people coalesce on?”
Under the Saudi Green Initiative two years ago, the kingdom set a target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.
“They're talking about climate, they're talking about environmental stewardship, and this trickles all the way from top to bottom … it's really involving everyone and it's giving everyone that sense of urgency that they can do more, and they can contribute to this effort,” said Princess Noura.
“You're trying to regenerate and rebuild some of the lost wealth – whether it's biodiversity, or your culture and heritage … so, it's about a multitude of issues and that's really what guides us and what drives us.”
The princess said a lot of work is being done on planet-positive interventions, which focus on solutions, but also on innovation and policymaking to “develop what we're hopefully going to have in the next few years, this planetary repair skills bank”.
Youth participation
“Our region primarily is quite young, and there's a lot of energy investment going into the pipeline,” said Princess Mashael.
During the Middle East and North Africa climate week, held in Riyadh this year, in co-operation with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat, Princess Noura said international attendees were pleasantly surprised to see how deeply involved Saudi youth were.
The week-long climate event brought together private sector companies, policymakers, campaigners, and stakeholders in sustainability for discussions on energy and climate.
“The youth are part of the policymaking process. They are in the negotiation rooms they are on these boards they are in the rooms with ministers and with the Crown Prince [Mohammed bin Salman] voicing their concerns voicing but actually thinking about solutions,” said Princess Noura.
When Saudi youth first started working in the energy and climate sector they realised there was a very big gap in how policies were relating to projects on the ground, “specifically the developmental projects that touch communities”.
Princess Noura said societal values inspire Aeon, which was founded in 2016, because “in the end it's the individual in society that you want to influence”.
“We're Bedouins and we take pride in the Bedouin ethos and approach. I call it this Bedouin approach to policymaking. We like to under-commit, and hopefully over-deliver in certain arenas, Princess Mashael said.
Consistent leadership
Princess Mashael says there is a need to address empty rhetoric to help translate a lot of this work into pragmatic action that's felt on the ground.
“I think what's very lacking is consistent leadership and consistent vision,” she said.
“And how do you translate that to action on the ground? We always allude to this big win.
“That we were very happy to be able to push across the finish line with the Saudi Green Initiative.”
New projects to highlight the importance of art and culture to sustainable means of living will be launched next year.
“We are the indigenous communities that lived here for centuries,” said Princess Noura.
“Maybe there are communities who have different ways of life who are still more in touch with traditional practices but essentially everyone is indigenous in one way or another to this land.”
Aeon now has a network of physical sites around the world. The company said these can build and share knowledge and create a space where people can have conversations on everything from policy innovation to technical solutions.
Despite the progress, Princess Noura thinks Saudis “will never be content with the status quo … they're always going to strive for better and better”.
“It's really something to be proud of … you can just see it in their eyes and feel it in the way that they're engaging.”
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RESULTS
Mumbai Indians 181-4 (20 ovs)
Kolkata Knight Riders 168-6 (20ovs)
Mumbai won by 13 runs
Rajasthan Royals 152-9 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 155-4 (18.4 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab won by 6 wickets
1971: The Year The Music Changed Everything
Director: Asif Kapadia
4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
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Race card:
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m.
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m.
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m.
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m.
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
