Environment budget

The UAE Government gives special attention to environmental protection in its federal budget. The following is the budget allocated for the years 2016 to 2020.

Review details of the federal budgets from 2011 to 2021- Ministry of Finance.

Environmental policy

The UAE Government seeks to ensure a sustainable development while preserving the environment, and to achieve a perfect balance between production and consumption. To do that, the UAE’s Vision 2021 focuses on improving the quality of air, preserving water resources, increasing the contribution of clean energy and implementing green growth plans. The UAE is improving its ranking in a number of global indices relating to environment. These include:

• Percentage of Treated Waste of Total Waste Generated
• Air Quality Index
• Share of Clean Energy Contribution
• Water Scarcity Index.

Read more about the UAE Government’s policy on the environment.

Read also:

• The National Environmental Education and Awareness Strategy
• UAE Energy Strategy 2050
• UAE's Biodiversity Strategy 2014-2021 (Arabic only)
• National Climate Change Plan of the UAE 2017–2050
• Dubai Clean Energy Strategy
• Environment Vision 2030 (Abu Dhabi).

Environmental laws

The UAE has a set of laws, which serve as a framework for regulation and management of waste, pollution, natural resources and sustainable production and consumption. The goal of environmental legislations is to preserve our natural resources for the present and future generations.

Review environmental legislations on the following websites:

• Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
• Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi
• Environment Protection and Development Authority - RAK

Conventions on environment

The UAE Government signed several conventions to protect the environment and alleviate the impacts of global climate change. Those conventions include:

•  Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity
• The Nagoya- Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
• The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity
• The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
• The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar)
• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
• Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles and their Habitats of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia
• Memorandum of Understanding on the management and protection of Dugongs and their habitats 
• Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors- MoU)
• Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks (Sharks MOU)
• Convention on the Conservation of Wildlife and their Natural habitats in the Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
• The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture 
• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
• Kuwait Regional Convention for Cooperation on the Protection of the Marine. Environment from Pollution and its Protocols- ROPME
• Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
• Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
• Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
• Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade
• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Kyoto Protocol to the UN Convention on Climate Change
• International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants
• Minamata Convention on Mercury
• International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (1973G.) as amended by Protocol MARPOL (1978G.)
• Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.