Dubai’s Environment and Climate Change Authority closed its first Environment Conference and Exhibition by signing seven partnerships spanning CITES enforcement, food security data, green mobility, electric vehicle trials and coastal restoration work.
The Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority (DECCA) closed the inaugural Dubai Environment Conference and Exhibition (DECE 2026) on 9 September by signing seven partnership agreements, according to a press release. The deals cover food security data sharing, green mobility, electric vehicle trials and coastal ecosystem restoration.
DECCA’s agreement with Dubai Customs supports enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), setting up an integrated monitoring system and technology to flag high risk shipments moving through Dubai’s ports and crossings. A separate agreement with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) expands knowledge exchange to protect biodiversity and natural resources.
Union Coop and Emirates Co-op each agreed to feed data on strategic and essential food commodities into Dubai’s food security platform, alongside joint public awareness programmes on sustainability. Al-Futtaim signed on to advance green mobility, decarbonise supply chains and explore education programmes through its foundation. Jameel Motors will trial Farizon electric commercial vehicles across the emirate to test their environmental and operational performance for businesses.
Emirates NBD’s agreement covers mangrove nurseries, coral restoration and tree planting at approved sites, plus volunteering and environmental awareness programmes. Separately, Yousuf Lootah, chief executive officer of corporate strategy and performance at the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, detailed the Dubai Reef project’s plan to deploy 20,000 purpose-built modules across 600 square kilometres of Dubai’s waters, calling it a model the emirate intends to share beyond its own coastline.
Ahmed Mohammed bin Thani, director general of DECCA, said Dubai aims to rank among the world’s ten leading cities for environmental and resource sustainability, and that the authority will rely on partnership and data integration rather than regulation alone to get there. DECE 2026 also featured more than thirty research presentations from regional universities and institutes, which DECCA said underpins its approach to environmental monitoring, reporting and verification.
For UAE climate tech investors and mobility providers, the Jameel Motors trials and the food security data links with Union Coop and Emirates Co-op point to near term opportunities in electric fleet deployment and agricultural data infrastructure.
