2020 Dubai

DUBAI, 6th September, 2021 - The Kingdom of Netherlands has launched "The Uniting Water Energy Food Innovation Tour" that aims at identifying and scaling up some of the most innovative start-up solutions in the fields of water, energy and food. The tour covers the fastest growing innovation ecosystems in the world and will culminate at the finals taking place at the Expo 2020 Dubai in January 2022, according to a press release issued by the Netherlands Embassy in Abu Dhabi. Launched along with Unknown Group, the tour will travel through the MENA, Asia-Pacific regions and The Netherlands. The top 15 startups participating in these virtual prerounds will be invited to pitch their solutions to the world’s leading investors, corporates and governments at the finals taking place at the Expo 2020 Dubai. Lody Embrechts, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UAE, said, "Our partners in governance in the Gulf region plan to effectively achieve its ambitions to diversify its energy mix, become more self-sufficient with regards to its food supply, and secure the availability of fresh water for agriculture and consumption. These water, energy and food sectors will have to operate in close coordination, as a nexus. The inextricable linkages between these critical domains, water, sustainable agriculture and efficient energy production are critical if we are to take responsible climate action." In the coming decades, the world will need increasing amounts of resources. Population growth, resource-intensive lifestyles and the damaging effects of climate change will lead to water, energy and food insecurity across the globe. To be able to feed a population of almost 10 billion people that will likely inhabit our world in 2050, the world has to think about how to use scarce