Abu Dhabi Shows Global Marine Leadership At UN HLPF 2025

Photo: Abu Dhabi Media Office 

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) showed the world how Abu Dhabi leads in saving the oceans and marine life. This happened during the 2025 United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York, which took place from 14 to 23 July. The HLPF is an important meeting where countries talk about their progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030.

Who Attended The Forum?

Her Excellency Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, who is the Secretary General of EAD, joined the UAE team at this forum. She is also the Vice Chair of the Global Council on SDG14, which is about Life Below Water. She worked with the UAE Government Experience Exchange Office and the UAE SDG Secretariat to share Abu Dhabi’s work on marine conservation.

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Dr Al Dhaheri attended many important meetings. She spoke about how the UAE is trying to reach the SDGs by 2030 and how it is helping the world become more stable and peaceful. She also went to the opening of the UAE exhibition at the UN, which showed how the country is working on different goals to improve the environment and life on Earth.

What Did Abu Dhabi Showcase?

At the exhibition, Dr Al Dhaheri spoke about Abu Dhabi’s projects to protect marine habitats. She explained how Abu Dhabi is leading in global projects like the Mangrove Alliance for Climate and how it will host the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October 2025. This congress will be held in Abu Dhabi and will bring together many countries to talk about saving nature.

During the official SDG14 session, Dr Al Dhaheri gave a keynote speech. She told everyone about Abu Dhabi’s great work in marine conservation, using blue carbon innovation, and managing fisheries in a sustainable way.

Abu Dhabi’s Work To Save Oceans

She said, “In the UAE, SDG14 is very important for us. We follow science, make strong policies, and invest money to save our oceans. In Abu Dhabi, we are restoring important blue carbon ecosystems like mangroves and seagrass meadows. We have also started the world’s largest coral rehabilitation project. We want to save over four million coral colonies by 2030.”

Dr Al Dhaheri also spoke about Abu Dhabi’s work to protect marine animals. She shared that Abu Dhabi is home to the world’s second-largest dugong population with 3,500 dugongs. The emirate also monitors over 7,900 sea turtles. Abu Dhabi uses environmental DNA and AI technology to check the health of these species.

She added that Abu Dhabi improved its Sustainable Exploitation Index from only 8.9% in 2018 to 97.4% by the end of 2024. This index shows how well fish resources are managed. Abu Dhabi reached this result through data-based fisheries management and making new policies.

UAE’s New SDGs 2045 Report

At another meeting called Scaling What Works, Dr Al Dhaheri joined global leaders to talk about successful SDG projects. During this session, His Excellency Abdulla Nasser Lootah, Chairman of the UAE National Committee on SDGs, launched the 2025 edition of the SDGs 2045 Report.

He said, “The UAE is thinking about the future with our SDGs 2045. It shows that we are committed to sustainable development for a long time. We want to create solutions for global problems and work with other countries to build strong and flexible development paths.”

Sharing Abu Dhabi’s Solutions

At the Rapid-Fire Solutions Showcase, Dr Al Dhaheri talked about Abu Dhabi’s complete plan to keep the ocean clean and healthy. She said, “Saving our oceans is not just about science or money. It is also about political will. Abu Dhabi shows what can be done when there is strong leadership, good rules, and long-term investment. We need to fund what works and share it with the whole world through partnerships.”

Ministerial Roundtable On SDG14

Dr Al Dhaheri also led the SDG14 Ministerial Roundtable during the GEEP Global Retreat at the UAE Mission to the UN. His Excellency Lootah gave a speech at this meeting, highlighting how the UAE helps other countries work together to solve environmental problems.

The session was called Sustainable Environment and included leaders from different countries, UN agencies, and universities. In her opening speech, Dr Al Dhaheri said that the world needs to work together to save the oceans. She said that even though SDG14 is one of the least achieved goals, there are success stories that show progress is possible.

Important Research Projects

She shared results from Abu Dhabi’s Jaywun Expedition in 2022, which studied microplastics in 25 countries and eight marine ecosystems. She also spoke about EAD’s Fisheries Resource Assessment Surveys and genetic research on important fish species.

Dr Al Dhaheri said, “Abu Dhabi’s work shows that we can fix the damage done to our oceans if we use science-based policies, make fair rules, and share responsibility. We must act quickly to save our oceans. Abu Dhabi is ready to lead, work with others, and inspire a new age of ocean recovery. When the ocean is healthy, life is healthy too.”

Meetings With Global Partners

Apart from the main events, Dr Al Dhaheri also held meetings with different organisations. She met people from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to discuss how to build sustainable food systems and protect biodiversity. She also met with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to discuss how cities can become more resilient and control pollution better.

End Of The Forum

The HLPF 2025 ended with all countries promising to work harder to achieve the SDGs before 2030. For Abu Dhabi, this meeting showed its strong role in global marine conservation and environmental leadership.

With the IUCN World Conservation Congress coming to Abu Dhabi later this year, EAD’s presence at HLPF 2025 proves that Abu Dhabi is becoming a global centre for environmental leadership, nature-based solutions, and sustainability talks. The emirate continues to inspire the world with its hard work to protect the oceans and marine life for a better and healthier future.