Qatar Rail and GORD strengthen climate commitments at COP27

REINFORCING its position as a leading entity driving sustainability endeavours and climate actions regionally and globally, the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD) has joined the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the UNFCCC taking place from November 6 to 18 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

The annual climate event is a coming together of countries and organisations to address the climate challenges facing the world today.

GORD’s key activities at COP27 include multi-stakeholder engagements through high-level meetings with governments and international entities, knowledge exchange and capacity building through workshops and seminars, and cross-sector synergies through partnerships and alliances with leading organizations.

At COP27’s Green Zone and Blue Zone, GORD’s delegation of sustainability and climate experts, led by Founding Chairman Dr. Yousef Alhorr, are offering insightful presentations and panel discussions.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Dr. Alhorr said, “As an entity pushing the climate agenda for more than a decade, our participation at COP27 is driven by the need to accelerate sustainable solutions at scale and speed. We are here to highlight Qatar’s green initiatives, projects and success stories that GORD is proud and honoured to be part of. At the same time, we look forward to widening the reach and scope of our sustainability efforts by exploring cross-sector synergies with leading organisations operating regionally and globally.”

During the first week of COP, experts from GORD delivered a range of seminars, panel discussions and product demonstrations, followed by Q&As and networking at GORD Pavilion designed to provide a mix of knowledge exchange activities and networking opportunities with a range of facilities including conference space, meeting room and exhibition space. Key focus areas covered as part of these multi-stakeholder engagements included green building best practices, RDI in the field of sustainable built environment, smart solutions to catalyse energy transition, green finance and ESG strategies and compliance.

The first week of GORD’s participation resulted in promising outcomes including strategic collaborations and partnerships across various sectors to foster sustainable development.

Under GORD’s agreement with Qatar Rail signed by Dr. Alhorr and Qatar Rail’s Chief of Service Delivery, Eng. Abdulla Saif Al-Sulaiti, the partnering entities will collaborate to promote sustainable building practices through the implementation of the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) Design & Build and Construction Management certifications for Qatar Rail’s new stations, and adoption of GSAS Operations for the existing stations.

Other areas of collaboration covered in the MoU include capacity building through trainings and educational programs, facilitating environmental audits for facilities as required; and conducting specific sustainability consultancy services for various projects.