Latest / DEWA Podcasts / Khawla Al Mehairi: Sustainability is no longer an environmental issue; strategic communication transforms society from message recipients into partners in creating impact Dr Mohammed Al Dhaheri: Sustainable impact begins with investing in people and
Transcript
- 0:00Welcome to the podcast, everyone. Today, we're
- 0:04unpacking a massive shift in how governments
- 0:07and corporations talk about our future. Wow.
- 0:10We just got this fresh from the 2026 Arab Media
- 0:14Summit in Dubai. The big takeaway is that sustainability
- 0:18is no longer just an environmental issue. That's
- 0:22right. It's now a core strategic priority. In
- 0:26a standout session, Kaala Almahari from Dubai
- 0:30Electricity and Water Authority, or DIWA, argued
- 0:33that the real challenge isn't explaining sustainability
- 0:36to the public anymore. Hmm. She says it's about
- 0:40embedding it into our everyday habits and, well,
- 0:44corporate culture. And they are proving it works.
- 0:48Diwa's initiatives have actually helped customers
- 0:50prevent the waste of over 61 million cubic meters
- 0:54of water. Right. But what fascinated me most
- 0:58was how they viewed the role of communication
- 1:00itself. Alma Harry summarized it perfectly, saying,
- 1:04We do not measure the success of communication
- 1:06solely by the number of messages delivered or
- 1:09followers gained. Yeah. She added, but by the
- 1:14impact we create and the value we add to the
- 1:16community and the organization. It transforms
- 1:20the public from passive listeners into active
- 1:23partners. And, you know, this requires serious
- 1:26trust. Exactly. Dr. Mohamed Aldahari from the
- 1:30Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy expanded on
- 1:33how you actually build that trust. He said, and
- 1:37I quote, OK. He continued, Wow. while helping
- 2:05to build partnerships that support national priorities.
- 2:08When an organization's messages align with its
- 2:11performance, its achievements become a source
- 2:13of credibility and a form of soft power. Right.
- 2:17He finished with, that enhances the nation's
- 2:20global presence and influence. I love that phrase,
- 2:24soft power. When your actions match your words,
- 2:28you build undeniable credibility. Yeah, absolutely.
- 2:32And as Alma Harry pointed out regarding crisis
- 2:35communication, that credibility has to be established
- 2:37early. She noted that trust is not built during
- 2:42a crisis. It is built before it and tested during
- 2:45it. Exactly. You have to lay the groundwork through
- 2:49innovation and action today. Right. As she reminded
- 2:53the audience, quoting His Highness Sheikh Mohammed
- 2:55bin Rashid al -Maktoum, the future belongs to
- 2:59those who can imagine it, design it, and execute
- 3:01it. Hmm. It isn't something you will wait, but
- 3:05rather create. A powerful call to action to stop
- 3:09waiting and start building. Now, here's a question
- 3:12we'd like you to think about. Oh, good one. In
- 3:15your own workplace or community, are your daily
- 3:18practices actually reflecting the sustainability
- 3:21goals you talk about? Yeah. Or is there a gap
- 3:25between your message and your performance? Let
- 3:27us know what you think.