His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II attended the opening of the World Future Energy Summit on Monday, upon an invitation from Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and the deputy supreme commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces.

State leaders and representatives attended the opening ceremony, held within the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), with over 35,000 participants from 175 countries, including ministers, representatives of international companies and organisations, and key experts and scientists.

The ADSW, held this year under the theme “Driving the Global Energy Transformation”, is the largest sustainability gathering in the Middle East.

The week is “dedicated to furthering our understanding of the major social, economic and environmental trends shaping the world’s sustainable development, and to empowering the global community to realise viable and effective strategies to mitigate climate change”, according to the organizers.

The ADSW’s focus on youth reflects confidence in their role to maintain the momentum towards achieving sustainable development, Sheikh Mohamed said, noting the importance of ensuring the active engagement of youth and harnessing their energies to become future leaders.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Sultan Al Jaber, UAE minister of state and chairman of Masdar, said the ADSW is special this year for coming in the “Year of Zayed”, as the UAE marks the 100th birthday of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and 10 years since the launch of the Zayed Future Energy Prize.

The ceremony featured a recorded video message from renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who affirmed the important role of youth in leading a sustainable future.

A panel discussion was also held at the opening ceremony, featuring a group of talented young people from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, China, the US, and South Korea who shared their creative ideas on climate, energy, and economic development.

Crown Prince Al Hussein also attended the Zayed Future Energy Prize Awards Ceremony held within the ADSW.

His Royal Highness and Sheikh Mohamed presented the awards to the nine winners in five categories: Lifetime Achievement, Large Corporation, Small and Medium Enterprise, Non-Profit Organisation, and Global High Schools.