Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt: In line with its ambitions to become a regional leader in climate action, e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group), the global technology and investment conglomerate, today signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), at the UAE Pavilion, as part of its participation at COP27, the 27th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, currently taking place in Egypt.

The strategic partnership marks e&’s stance as the first entity from the UAE’s private sector to join the UICCA. The move reaffirms the group’s commitment towards the climate action efforts led by the Group while supporting the transition to a greener economy.

Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Executive Director of UICCA, said: “As the driving force towards actualising the UAE’s commitment to net zero by 2050, UICCA’s mission is to enable and energise an ecosystem of public and private entities that have shared values and a joint vision of building a sustainable future.”

Sheikha Shamma added: “Today’s signing with e& at COP27, as the first private sector entity to join the UICCA, is a tremendous achievement that depicts our progress towards our climate action aspirations, and we look forward to partnering together and pushing forward with our goals to preserve natural ecosystems for future generations.”

Sheikha Shamma concluded by stating: “This marks the beginning of the UICCA’s concentrated efforts towards supporting the UAE’s sustainable solutions commitment, as well as the acclaimed actions and efforts that have already been undertaken by the Egyptian presidency as part of our concerted efforts towards the ‘Decade for Action”.

“I sincerely look forward to working in close cohesion with all of our peers within the global sustainability community and achieving tangible outcomes here at COP27 and COP28 UAE.”

“Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and we believe that tangible sustainable goals are essential to ensure a better future for generations to come” said Hatem Dowidar, Group CEO, e&. “Today, we have taken an important step forward in visualising our sustainability strategy and supporting the UAE’s net zero climate action ambitions, and we remain confident that the signing of the MoU will become a catalyst for making the difference as we inspire and motivate other corporates and organisations to drive the necessary change.”

“The telecoms sector has always been a key enabler for other sectors to achieve their sustainability goals. Together with UICCA, we will create an action group that will drive implementation of sustainability-based solutions in UAE’s ICT industry.”

UICCA is a non-partisan climate action entity that functions as a think tank, providing evidence-based policy recommendations on climate action to both the public and private sector. Working across sectors industry groups UICCA will actively work to build industry coalitions to facilitate the region’s transition to a green economy through activities that stimulate GDP growth, increase job creation, and reinforce UAE’s position as a global hub for best practices in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).

Etisalat Group had changed its brand identity to e&, effective from 23 February 2022. Its strategy aims to accelerate growth through the creation of a resilient business model representing the Group’s main business pillars.

The telecoms business currently continues to be led by etisalat by e& in the UAE which is its home market and by e& international in the global markets, upholding the Group’s rich telecoms heritage, bolstering the strong telecoms network and maximising value for the Group’s various customer segments.

Ramping up the digital services for individual customers to elevate their digital-first lifestyle, e& life brings next-generation technologies through smart platforms in entertainment, retail and financial technology.

To maximise the digital potential of governments, large-scale enterprises and corporates, e& enterprise focuses on delivering innovative digital vertical value propositions through its end-to-end solutions in cybersecurity, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as deploying mega projects. e& capital allows the Group to focus its efforts on driving new investments while maximising shareholder value and strengthening global presence.

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About e& 

e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group) is one of the world’s leading technology and investment conglomerates. With consolidated net revenue at AED 53.3 billion and consolidated net profit of AED 9.3 billion for 2021, its high credit ratings reflect the company’s strong balance sheet and proven long-term performance.  

Founded in Abu Dhabi more than four decades ago as the UAE’s first telecommunications company, the Group now operates in 16 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. 

e& provides innovative digital solutions, smart connectivity and next-generation technologies to a variety of customer segments through its business pillars: etisalat by e&, e& international, e& life, e& enterprise and e& capital. 

To learn more about e&, please visit: https://eand.com/  

 About the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA)

UICCA is a first of its kind independent sustainability think tap themed entity in the Middle East region that brings together government entities, the private sector, international organizations, academia and research institutions and NGOs. The entity will provide non-partisan advice and evidence-based policy research and recommendations to key stakeholders to drive net zero ambitions by 2050 in the UAE. This will include strategic advice and recommendations on positive climate actions to mitigate climate-related risk for the UAE leading up to COP28 and beyond.

UICCA aims to accelerate the transition to a green economy that is vital to deliver on the net zero and ambitious climate agenda that the UAE has committed to. This will enable the UAE economy to benefit from the global momentum around climate action and will inform the UAE’s policies to enable the transition to a green economy and strategically impact the UAE’s GDP and economic growth.

Media Contact:
Nancy Sudheer,
Corporate Communications – e&
nsudheer@eand.com