Expo 2020 Dubai: UAE, Jordan and Netherlands to host summit on water, energy and food security

A statue in the Mobility Pavilion. Courtesy: Dubai Expo 2020

The UAE pavilion with Al Wasl Plaza in the background seen from above at the Dubai Expo 2020 site. Courtesy: Dubai Expo 2020

Al Wasl Plaza, seen behind new buildings at the Expo site. Dubai Expo 2020

The Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai site. Courtesy: Dubai Expo 2020

The Expo Entry Portal at the Sustainability District at Dubai Expo 2020 site. Courtesy: Dubai Expo 2020

The Children and Science Centre with Al Wasl Plaza in the background.  Courtesy: Dubai Expo 2020

Al Wasl Plaza's dome, where the opening ceremony will be displayed next year. Courtesy: Dubai Expo 2020

Al Wasl Plaza, the centre of the expo site and where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held. Courtesy: Dubai Expo 2020

Inside the Mobility District at the expo site. Courtesy: Dubai Expo 2020

Inside the Opportunity Pavilion at the expo site. Courtesy: Dubai Expo 2020

Inside the Opportunity Pavilion at the expo site. Courtesy: Dubai Expo 2020

The UAE, Jordan and the Netherlands will jointly host a two-day summit during Expo 2020 Dubai that will focus on the issues of water, energy and food security.

The Water, Energy and Food Summit will be held in January 2022 to coincide with Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

It will combine policy-making with practical solutions for water, energy and food challenges.

Among the challenges that affect the availability of water, energy and food are climate change, a rising global population and increasing urbanisation.

The world’s population is expected to reach almost 10 billion by 2050, making the management of natural resources ever more important.

“Jordan, the UAE and the Netherlands share many water, energy and food security challenges, so working together and sharing our knowledge and experiences in all three areas will enable us to draw on our collective expertise to deliver the best possible results,” said Mariam Al Mheiri, UAE Minister of State for Food Security.

“The high-level Water, Energy and Food Summit is an essential component of Expo 2020 and will enable our respective countries to create a road map for pooling our resources and combining synergies to deliver more sustainable systems, not just for our three nations, but for the wider global community.”

In the run-up to the summit, interactive youth roadshows in each of the three countries will explore challenges in water, energy and food security, the results of which will then be presented to world leaders during the event. In addition, youth ambassadors will be announced in the summit programme.

The summit is the first of its kind to focus on regional and national policy steps needed to address the challenges in an integrated manner.

The collaboration will build on Expo 2020's role as a global convener to highlight the complex issues surrounding these three essential resources and emphasise the need for collective action.

“The UAE is a living innovation lab for food production technologies in arid climates, and Expo 2020 Dubai – an unparalleled global gathering dedicated to delivering solutions to our most pressing challenges – presents the UAE, the Netherlands and Jordan with a timely opportunity to work together on developing and implementing innovative solutions that we can share with the world," said Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Co-operation.

"This trilateral partnership exemplifies our commitment to cross-border collaboration and our belief that through collective action, we can achieve the sustainable development goals, resulting in a cleaner, safer and healthier future for all by 2030."

During the conference, the Netherlands will initiate a research collaboration involving academic and research institutions from the three countries, which will be presented during the summit through interactive policy simulations and discussions.

Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions – in pictures