Ras
Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, January 27, 2022: Ras
Al Khaimah Municipality held a workshop to launch new green public procurement initiatives
in Ras Al Khaimah.
The meeting revealed
a new set of initiatives, “single-use plastic no more” and “go paperless” as part of the Green Public Procurement program of Ras Al
Khaimah, which supports the adoption of sustainable procurement practices in
the emirate since 2020.
The event
witnessed attendance from His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saud bin Saqr Al
Qasimi, Chairman of the Public Service Department in the Government of Ras Al
Khaimah, and a large number of officials from government entities, private organisations
and media.
H.E. Munther
Mohammed bin Shekar, Director General of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, H.E. Dr.
Saif Alghais, Director General of the Environment Protection and Development
Authority (EPDA), H.E. Yousef Alblooshi, Director General of the Department of
Finance, and Mr. Ramy Jallad, CEO of RAKEZ all formalised their commitment to
the new initiatives in a signing ceremony in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed
bin Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi.
In presenting
the “single-use plastic no more” initiative, H.E. Dr. Saif Al Ghais, Director
General of the EPDA said, “Elimination of single-use plastics is a global priority
as it also enhances the sustainability of our resources. We want to do our
part, both by directly reducing consumption of these types of products in the
government and also by promoting intervention in the market through a variety
of measures”. About the “go paperless” initiative, Mr. Ramy Jallad, CEO of
RAKEZ, said, “RAKEZ is proud to drive this initiative for the Government of Ras
Al Khaimah. A key area of opportunity is the use of electronic methods of
communication and certification, accompanied by more extensive employee
awareness and controls.”
The Green
Public Procurement program was started in 2020 with the introduction of criteria
for procurement of frequently purchased product categories, such as paper,
furniture, light vehicles, air conditioning, household appliances, carpets, IT
equipment and others. The new initiatives take a further step, by reducing
consumption of items with high environmental impact. The relevant regulation
can be found on the Reem website of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, www.reem.rak.ae.
On the
occasion of the signing ceremony, H.E. Munther Mohammed bin Shekar,
Director General of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality said, “We look forward to
supporting collaborations among government entities in Ras Al Khaimah to ensure
the program achieves its objectives.”
The Green
Public Procurement program is an enabler of the Ras Al Khaimah Energy
Efficiency and Renewables Strategy 2040, established under the patronage of
His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and
Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, and targets 30% energy savings, 20% water savings, and
20% contribution of electricity from renewable sources by 2040. The strategy supports the UAE commitments for climate change mitigation
and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
-END-
About Ras Al Khaimah Municipality and Reem
Ras Al Khaimah Municipality was established in 1959 by an Emiri decree
issued by His Highness Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi and since then works
on providing a comfortable environment in which people can live and work. Reem, the Energy Efficiency and Renewables
Office at Ras Al Khaimah Municipality coordinates the implementation of the
RAK Energy Efficiency and Renewables Strategy 2040, established under the
patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council
Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah. The Strategy targets 30% energy savings,
20% water savings, and 20% generation from renewable energy sources by 2040.