BUILDING BRIDGES

Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the U.A.E.’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister in Charge of Talent Attraction and Retention, has been a key player as the country embeds its commitment to sustainability. His challenge now: inspiring others to use business as a platform for positive change.

- CLAUDINE COLETTI

While for many, the U.A.E.—one of the world’s most prolific suppliers of oil and gas—may not spring to mind as a renewables champion, there’s no doubt that, whether you’re a believer or a naysayer, 2023 is the year that the country takes center stage. Having invested over $50 billion into clean energy over the last 15 years and committed to net zero by 2050, and with an intention to invest another $50 billion in the next decade, in November 2021 the U.A.E. was announced as the host of the global climate change conference COP28 in 2023. As it prepares for the headline-hitting event to play out in December, the country is determined to showcase how it’s a world player in sustainability.

Few people understand this better than Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the U.A.E.’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister in Charge of Talent Attraction and Retention. His career spanned petroleum and renewable energy before he turned his focus to trade three years ago. He was previously the country’s first Minister for Climate Change, and in July, he was awarded a global seat as the chair of the World Trade Organisation’s 13th Ministerial Conference—the highest decision-making body of the WTO—which will take place in Abu Dhabi in February 2024, bringing together trade ministers and senior officials from the organization’s 164 members. Having stated that “trade has a substantial role to play in the climate-change equation,” Al Zeyoudi is now focused on showing how international business and global sustainability goals can align if countries are ready to work together.