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The 2025 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, organized under the patronage of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, will Continue till Jan. 18.
The event’s anchor, the ADSW Summit, took place under the theme ‘The Nexus of Next — Supercharging Sustainable Progress.’
The summit showcased how dynamic, interconnected economies can unlock sustainable progress, offering a global platform to catalyze change and unite the international community in building a sustainable, inclusive and resilient future.
Guest speakers included Giorgia Meloni, prime minister of Italy; Bola Tinubu, president of Nigeria; Dr. Thani Al-Zeyoudi, minister of state for foreign trade, UAE Ministry of Economy; Dr. Abdulla Humaid Al-Jarwan, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy; Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, president of Kazakhstan; Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda; Anwar Ibrahim, prime minister of Malaysia; and Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises and special envoy for business and philanthropy, UAE.
In a keynote address titled ‘Financing the Future: Who Leads the Change,’ Badr Jafar highlighted the need for climate finance to increase fourfold to meet the Paris Agreement goals.
Emphasizing the private sector’s pivotal role he said: “We are not talking about trillions in grants or corporate charity; we’re talking about 6 trillion of investments, and with more than 120 trillion in assets under management, between the insurance and pension sectors, family offices and sovereign wealth funds, the world is not short of money. In fact, net private wealth stands at over 450 trillion dollars and is expected to increase more than 6 percent annually.”
Jafar said that mobilizing such vast resources requires bringing the transformative role of the Global South into focus, adding that “the Global South is a global powerhouse, home to 85 percent of the world’s population and already accounting for more than half of global GDP. By 2030, the Global South is anticipated to account for more than 80 percent of the world's middle class, representing an unparalleled opportunity for sustainable development.”
Reinforcing the necessity of a whole-of-society approach to address climate challenges, Jafar said: “The UAE’s leadership has long believed that society moves fastest when it moves as one whole society, engaging all stakeholders to create a multiplier effect. The business and philanthropy sectors, in partnership with governments, are essential to unlocking climate and nature opportunities on a large scale. We must act boldly, working across sectors and across geographies, to seize this moment together.”
The summit featured a series of engaging keynote addresses, panels and fireside chats that amplified diverse voices and fostered collaboration among sustainability leaders and showcased impactful solutions.
Key discussions underscored the urgency of climate challenges and leveraging technological advancements and collective intelligence to mobilize action.
The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit 2025 reaffirmed its role as a global platform for innovation, collaboration, and action, uniting leaders from around the world to accelerate progress toward a sustainable and prosperous future.