Round table series facilitating exchanges of expert insights to help advance climate finance in the UAE through harmonising understanding and catalysing collaborative action.
Following the success of its Path to COP28, the first-and largest finance-focused campaign for the UN Climate Summit held in Dubai in December 2023, GEFI, a global advocacy and solutions body specialising in building ecosystems for sustainable finance launched the pioneering ESG Majlis Dubai series.
In its maiden year, GEFI partnered with PwC Middle East to host the first three events in Dubai, and drew on GEFI’s proven track record of designing and delivering specialist, practitioner focused programmes that convene stakeholders to discuss commercial market issues. The unique format facilitated the sharing of expert insights and facilitate open and challenging discussions.
2024 partner:
Next event:
Ethical Finance Round Table
16 May from 12:30 BST; Edinburgh and Online
Join us in Edinburgh or online on 16 May from 12:30 BST for our latest Ethical Finance Round Table, exploring Net Zero Pensions and launching our report on the LGPS sector in Scotland.
Our approach
The ESG Majlis Dubai series will convene financial services leaders, by invitation only, to discuss key regional finance opportunities and challenges across the components of ESG.
By adopting a horizontal benchmarking approach and shining a light on local and global best practice, the series can help participating institutions to expedite their ESG journeys.
CONVENECOLLABORATEIMPACT
For over a decade GEFI has been convening FS market stakeholders specialising in the climate and sustainable finance arena to address pertinent market challenges and opportunities
Thought Leadership
Building Economic Resilience: The Financial Imperatives of Nature and Land Conservation in the Middle East
Land degradation is among the most significant socio-environmental challenges confronting communities today. The Middle East faces severe land degradation challenges driven by natural vulnerabilities such as hyperaridity, water scarcity
and rapid population growth, compounded by unsustainable practices and governance issues.
This white paper explores the relationship between nature conservation and financial strategy in the Middle East, particularly for institutions aiming to integrate economic resilience, regulatory compliance and AI-enhanced solutions. It highlights the financial sector’s role in meeting global conservation standards and nature-positive goals.
Past Events
Part of GEFI’s Nature to Capital Markets in the GCC Programme, this round table, under the theme of Pricing the Priceless: Nature through the Eyes of Financiers took place on Thursday 29th January in DIFC.
This session examined how nature and biodiversity are being framed within financial markets, particularly within investment frameworks. It solicited participants’ perspectives on nature financing to identify emerging trends, barriers, and opportunities in shifting beyond a purely climate-focused narrative.
Under the theme of Reassessing Coal in Islamic Finance, this round table hosted by White & Case, took place on Wednesday 29th October, bringing together scholars, market practitioners, and NGOs, to explore the ethical imperatives for coal divestment, the application of maqasid al-shariah to today’s climate and health realities, and practical pathways for transition financing.
The fifth ESG Majlis Dubai took place on the 15th May 2025 hosted at Nasdaq Dubai. The session, themed “Sustainable Investment: Trade Offs”, was chaired by GEFI Managing Director Omar Shaikh and featured Amanda Young, Senior Advisor, GEFI and former Global Chief Sustainability Officer for Investments at Abrdn and Sonali Siriwardena, Partner and Global Head of ESG at Simmons & Simmons
The fourth ESG Majlis Dubai took place on 29th April 2025 in partnership with DIFC, Climate Champions, and SLK Capital. The session, themed “Mobilising Capital for Climate Sectors in the Arab Region”, addressed climate finance priorities in the region, highlighting investment opportunities, de-risking strategies, and public-private collaboration.
The third ESG Majlis Dubai took place on the 5th December 2024 in partnership with PwC Middle East. The session, themed “Building Economic Resilience: The Financial Imperatives of Nature and Land Conservation”, was chaired by GEFI Global Steering Group Chair Dame Susan Rice DBE and coincided with the launch of the above paper.
The second ESG Majlis Dubai took place on the 21st May 2024 in partnership with PwC. The session was themed “Decarbonising the Built Environment: the Role of Finance” and heard expert insights from Jonathan Keyes, HSBC and Abdullatif Albitawi, Emirates Green Building Council.
The inaugural ESG Majlis Dubai series event, held on 5th March 2024, was delivered in partnership with PwC. The session was themed “UAE COP28 Legacy: from Finance Sector Opportunities to Economic Sustainability” and heard expert insights from Dame Susan Rice and Amal Larhlid.
In this video, GEFI’s Chair Dame Susan Rice offers her reflections on the inaugural ESG Majlis Dubai and explains what the series hopes to achieve.
At the official launch of ESG Majlis Dubai with PwC Middle East, Amal Larhlid highlights the important role of convening in accelerating the journey towards a greener economy.
The inaugural ESG Majlis Dubai series event, delivered in partnership with PwC, will convene financial services leaders, by invitation only, to discuss key regional finance opportunities and challenges across the components of ESG. This session is themed “UAE COP28 Legacy: from Finance Sector Opportunities to Economic Sustainability”.
Get involved
