Latest / DEWA Podcasts / HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer Affirms During London Climate Action Week 2026 that Critical Minerals Are the Bedrock of the Clean Energy Economy
Transcript
- 0:00The key development from London, United Kingdom,
- 0:02on 28 June 2026 is that His Excellency Saeed
- 0:07Mohammed Al -Tayyar, chairman of the World Green
- 0:10Economy Organization, said the global shift toward
- 0:14climate resilience must be treated as a major
- 0:17economic transformation. This was highlighted
- 0:20during London Climate Action Week 2026 at Marlborough
- 0:24House. in a session co -organised by the Commonwealth
- 0:27Secretariat and the World Green Economy Organisation
- 0:31under the theme Building Collaborative Pathways
- 0:35to Sustainable Prosperity. Yes, and the session
- 0:39was attended by His Excellency Ambassador Tanmaya
- 0:42Lal, Deputy Secretary -General of the Commonwealth
- 0:46Secretariat. Also present were Waleed bin Salman,
- 0:51Vice -Chairman of World Green Economy Organization,
- 0:54along with delegation members Marwan bin Haidar,
- 0:58Dr. Yusuf al -Akraf, and Abdul Rahim Sultan,
- 1:02Director -General of World Green Economy Organization.
- 1:06His Excellency, Saeed Mohammed Al -Tayyar, said,
- 1:11Let me begin by commending the Commonwealth Secretariat.
- 1:15For over 60 years, it has supported member states
- 1:19in natural resource governance, capacity building,
- 1:22and sustainable development. That legacy of purposeful
- 1:27multilateral cooperation is not just commendable,
- 1:30it is increasingly consequential day after day.
- 1:35In a fragmented world, the Secretariat's work
- 1:38matters more than ever. The theme of our discussion
- 1:42reflects a critical truth. The transition to
- 1:45a climate -resilient future is not merely an
- 1:48environmental challenge. It is a fundamental
- 1:51economic transformation. It demands effective
- 1:55governance, long -term planning, catalytic investment,
- 2:00and robust international cooperation. As nations
- 2:04pursue energy security and sustainable growth,
- 2:07critical minerals have emerged as the defining
- 2:10sustainability issue of our era. He also stressed
- 2:15that critical minerals are essential to the clean
- 2:18energy economy, supporting solar panels, wind
- 2:22turbines, electric vehicle batteries and grid
- 2:25infrastructure. He linked this directly to the
- 2:29Paris Agreement and emphasised the need to align
- 2:32public and private finance with low greenhouse
- 2:36gas emissions, lower carbon footprints and climate
- 2:40-resilient development. Said Mohammed Al -Tayyar
- 2:45added, But for resource -rich Commonwealth members,
- 2:49these minerals offer something greater, an unprecedented
- 2:52opportunity to drive green industrialisation,
- 2:56build industrial capacity, attract quality investment,
- 3:00foster home -grown innovation and diversify economies.
- 3:05Realising this opportunity requires more than
- 3:08geological endowment. It requires strong governance,
- 3:12strategic partnerships and shared value across
- 3:15the supply chain. History has shown us the cost
- 3:19of getting this wrong. Too often, previous extractive
- 3:22cycles left resource -rich nations with depleted
- 3:26assets but little lasting development to show
- 3:28for it. We cannot afford to repeat those missed
- 3:32opportunities. That is why I commend the work
- 3:35of the United Nations Secretary -General's Panel
- 3:38on Critical Energy Transition Minerals, which
- 3:41has set out seven guiding principles for fair,
- 3:44sustainable and transparent mineral value chains,
- 3:48including benefit sharing and circularity. The
- 3:52Commonwealth and World Green Economy Organisation
- 3:54are natural partners in implementing those principles,
- 3:58turning global norms into local practice. World
- 4:02Green Economy Organisation shares this vision.
- 4:06As a platform for green economic transformation,
- 4:09World Green Economy Organisation brings together
- 4:12governments, financial institutions and the private
- 4:15sector to accelerate sustainable development
- 4:18and build economic resilience. The collaboration
- 4:22between our two organisations proves that collective
- 4:25action works. By uniting diverse expertise and
- 4:29networks, we can drive environmental stewardship
- 4:32and long -term prosperity. The event also included
- 4:37a roundtable with representatives from the World
- 4:40Green Economy Organisation, Council on Energy,
- 4:44Environment and Water, International Council
- 4:48on Mining and Metals, Intergovernmental Forum
- 4:52on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development
- 4:56and the International Trade Centre. together
- 5:00with a technical expert from the Commonwealth
- 5:03Secretariat. The discussion also reinforced the
- 5:08role of WETEX, organised yearly by the Dubai
- 5:11Electricity and Water Authority, and called for
- 5:15deeper cooperation through the Commonwealth Critical
- 5:18Minerals Alliance.