The second edition of the Sustainability Forum Middle East (SFME) is ready to kick off on January 8–9 in the Kingdom of Bahrain with a focus on regional decarbonisation and “Achieving NetZero – Pathways to Accelerating Implementation.”
The Minister of Oil and Environment and Special Envoy for Climate Affairs Mohamed bin Mubarak bin Daina will attend the forum, which aims o foster engagement, dialogue, and skill development in climate action.
The forum also anticipates the participation of over 500 senior decision-makers from various sectors, as well as regional and international sustainability experts.
The programme will examine the path to net zero, focusing on the crucial partnerships, funding, and rules needed to speed up this process for businesses and regional economies.
Significantly, the agenda will include key points and results from the recent COP 28 conference in the UAE and what it means for climate action in the MENA region.
Over the course of two days, the forum will host several keynote speeches and interactive panel discussions. High-level speakers, including senior government officials and leaders in business and climate, will participate and discuss crucial issues for reaching net-zero targets.
The SFME will showcase speakers from various organisations, including Acwa Power, Alba, APM Terminals Bahrain, Bank ABC, Bapco Energies, Boston Consulting Group, the Central Bank of Bahrain, Deloitte, and EY-Parthenon.
Executives from organisations like the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA), Expo City Dubai, HSBC, Infracorp, KPMG, Lucid Motors, Red Sea Global, Standard Chartered Bank, and Zu’bi & Partners, among others, will also be speaking at the forum.
The Forum will host workshops aimed at aiding companies in strategising to reduce their carbon footprints and start their net-zero journeys. Deloitte, KPMG, the Sustainability Group, CFA Society Bahrain, and PetroSkills will conduct these workshops.
Laila Danesh, Managing Director at FinMark Communications, the forum’s founder and organiser, said: “We’re excited to announce further details of the Forum and the dynamic programme of speakers, panels, and workshops we have put together.”
“We look forward once again to bringing together a diverse group of business leaders with climate and sustainability experts to discuss meaningful solutions for the complex energy and economic transition that lies ahead,” she added.
The Forum has the support of partners committed to regional climate action, such as Bank ABC and Infracorp. Strategic partners include Tamkeen, Bapco Energies, and Standard Chartered Bank.
Moreover, SFME Partners include APM Terminals Bahrain, Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (Asry), Zu’bi & Partners, The Bahrain Ship Repairing and Engineering Company (BASREC), and the American Chamber of Commerce, Bahrain.
Gulf Air is the official carrier of the event, and Group Media Partners are OGN, Asharq Business with Bloomberg, and BFT.
