ADSW highlights
From 13 to 15 January 2026, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), one of the world's influential annual gatherings on sustainable development, took place at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, UAE, setting a new record for scale. Heads of state, ministers, leaders of multilateral institutions and executives of major energy and climate tech companies from more than 150 countries and regions came together for high-level dialogue and practical cooperation on the energy transition, climate action, artificial intelligence and sustainable development. As a key platform for sustainability diplomacy and industry in the Middle East, ADSW has become a central hub connecting the Global South with innovators worldwide and accelerating the delivery of sustainable solutions and international cooperation.
As a representative of climate tech innovation, WeCarbon took an active part in many of the core programmes of ADSW 2026. During the week, WeCarbon appeared in several roles, as exhibitor, partnership signatory, supporting organisation and Knowledge Partner, and, as the SIEF Middle East & Africa Implementation Unit (the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation being the event's strategic partner), was closely involved in the overall programme and its key themes. Over the three days in Abu Dhabi, WeCarbon helped SIEF organise and host a high-level delegation of more than 40 heads of state, ministers, heads of international organisations and prominent business executives and investors, holding a series of high-level, constructive exchanges on sustainable development, the energy transition and international cooperation.
From partnership signings, the launch of an international flagship report and exhibiting, to closed-door dinners, high-level meetings and institutional visits, WeCarbon's packed programme of activity helped shape several key moments of this year's ADSW, marking an important milestone in our work to advance global sustainable development through technology. Looking ahead, WeCarbon will continue to deepen international cooperation, with the aim of serving as an important bridge and hub between global climate tech and sustainability cooperation networks in the Middle East, Africa and the wider Global South.
Here is a look back at the highlights.
Attending the ADSW opening ceremony
On 13 January, at the main venue in ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, WeCarbon was invited as a representative of climate tech companies to attend the opening ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2026, which UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended in person to declare open.
The opening ceremony brought together heads of state and government from more than 15 countries, along with leaders of international organisations, major industry players and representatives of innovative companies, to launch ADSW. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Chairman of Masdar, Managing Director and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, delivered the keynote address. Held under the theme "The Nexus of Next: All Systems Go", the ceremony underlined the importance of technological innovation and multilateral collaboration in meeting global climate and energy transition challenges.
Photo: The opening ceremony
Exhibiting at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) and welcoming senior officials from the UAE Presidential Court
From 13 to 15 January, the World Future Energy Summit (WFES), one of the core flagship events of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, took place at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. As one of the influential international exhibitions for energy and clean technology, WFES brings together government bodies, energy companies, technology innovators and investors from around the world to showcase the latest trends and achievements in the global energy transition and sustainable development.
WeCarbon exhibited at this year's WFES with a dedicated stand, showcasing its core capabilities and flagship cases in AI for Sustainability and ESG advisory services. Throughout the three-day exhibition, the WeCarbon stand was busy with professional exchanges, as business representatives, investors and government officials from the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific stopped by for in-depth discussions on specific projects, technology deployment and cooperation models.
During the exhibition, senior leaders from the UAE Presidential Court and several high-level international delegations visited the WeCarbon stand to talk with the team and offer guidance. The discussions covered China-UAE sustainability projects, localisation pathways and technology cooperation, and the visitors encouraged WeCarbon to deepen its long-term cooperation with the UAE and regional partners and to take an active part in local sustainable development and energy transition projects. These high-level, face-to-face exchanges continued to widen WeCarbon's global circle of partners and opened up broader opportunities for the company's international sustainability work.
Photo: WeCarbon at WFES
Partnering with Quincus to build a new AI-driven model for low-carbon shipping and logistics
For WeCarbon, the more important goal of the week was to use technology to turn a shared determination to tackle climate change into technical results and project partnerships with real-world impact. On 15 January 2026, witnessed by a high-level international delegation, WeCarbon signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Quincus, a shipping and logistics technology company. WeCarbon Founder Eric Ma and Quincus CEO Jonathan Savoir attended the ceremony and signed the agreement. Focusing on "AI + low-carbon shipping and logistics", the two companies will jointly develop, pilot and scale up technical solutions in ESG and carbon management, AI agents, workflow automation and digital supply-chain workers, and provide related technical services. This cross-sector collaboration will offer the shipping and logistics industry efficient, precise low-carbon solutions and support sustainable global supply chains.
Photo: WeCarbon and Quincus at the signing ceremony
Coordinating a high-level delegation at the AIIB's closed-door reception
On 15 January, as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) marked its tenth anniversary, WeCarbon helped the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation (SIEF) coordinate a high-level ministerial delegation from the Asia-Pacific region at a closed-door reception hosted by the AIIB. The reception brought together the AIIB's senior management, the SIEF delegation, government representatives from several countries and heads of global companies for in-depth, closed-door discussions on investment opportunities, technical standards and cooperation models in key infrastructure areas such as clean energy, green transport and low-carbon cities. Participants discussed at length how multilateral financing mechanisms and technological innovation can work together to accelerate sustainable infrastructure projects in emerging markets and developing countries, laying a solid foundation for future cross-regional cooperation. Attendees included H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Chairman of Masdar, Managing Director and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Rt. Hon. Dr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Nigeria's Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas); H.E. Eduardo Pedrosa, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat; H.E. Antonio Basilio, Director of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Secretariat; H.E. Sergey Kanavskiy, Executive Secretary of the SCO Business Council; and Mr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey, Vice President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Supporting the inaugural Blue Forum
On 15 January, the Blue Forum, co-hosted by the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation (SIEF) and Masdar, was held in Abu Dhabi. As the closing plenary forum of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), the Blue Forum focused on cross-border collaboration and systemic innovation in sustainable development, with the aim of securing key international partnerships, unlocking transformative opportunities and advancing water security, technological innovation and sustainable growth together. More than 500 global political and business leaders, including heads of state, gathered to discuss water governance and the blue economy.
The forum focused on cross-border collaboration and systemic innovation in sustainable development, aiming to turn key international partnerships into action, unlock transformative opportunities and advance water security, technological innovation and sustainable growth together. Participants from Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa included government officials from many countries, heads of multilateral organisations and development banks, business executives and social impact leaders, creating a high-level dialogue platform spanning the public sector, financial institutions and industry. H.E. Patrick Herminie, President of Seychelles; H.E. Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak Al Shamsi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment; and H.E. Eduardo Pedrosa, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, attended and delivered keynote speeches, setting out policy visions and paths to action on water security, climate resilience, regional cooperation and new models of sustainable development.
During the forum, the report "ClimateTech In Focus: AI for Sustainability" was launched as the year's flagship research publication, followed by roundtables on four themes: multilateral collaboration, technology and innovation, infrastructure and investment, and social engagement. With a programme combining "research launch + leadership remarks + thematic dialogue", the forum explored how to scale up water security and blue economy solutions, underlining the Blue Forum's distinctive value as an international cooperation platform connecting policy, capital and technology.
Photo: The Blue Forum
Moderating the Blue Forum's technology and innovation roundtable
During the Blue Forum on 15 January, Ms. Remoca Shi, Founder of WeCarbon, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Climate Week Executive Committee and Implementation Lead for the Middle East and Africa at the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation, was invited to moderate the roundtable on "Technology and Innovation". Together with Rt. Hon. Dr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Nigeria's Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas); H.E. Zhou Yiping, Founding Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation; and Nabil Al-Khowaiter, former CEO of Aramco Ventures, Ms. Shi explored how climate technology is reshaping the path to the Sustainable Development Goals, discussing SDG delivery, efficiency and transparency, scaling up innovative technologies, and how multi-stakeholder collaboration can speed up deployment in the Global South and beyond, offering diverse perspectives on global sustainable technology innovation.
Photo: Ms. Remoca Shi moderates the roundtable
Launching the report "ClimateTech In Focus: AI for Sustainability" as Knowledge Partner, together with UN and APEC bodies
Video: the ClimateTech In Focus report
At the Blue Forum, held during the closing of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) on 15 January, the year's flagship research publication, "ClimateTech In Focus: AI for Sustainability", was launched. The report was jointly initiated by UN and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) bodies and Shanghai Climate Week and presented by the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation (SIEF). As the report's Knowledge Partner, WeCarbon was closely involved and led the writing. WeCarbon founders Remoca Shi and Eric Ma were among the report's six lead authors, contributing to its core writing and research. The report brings together insights from more than 120 experts from 28 countries and regions, including 26 heads of state and ministers.
With this report, we aim to give decision-makers and industry leaders worldwide a practical framework for action, addressing the key questions of how AI can advance sustainable development:
How far are we from artificial general intelligence (AGI)? And by what path will we get there?
How can hyperscale AI data centres become national strategic assets? How can "computing-power and electricity coordination" resolve key questions of data centre siting, power supply, decarbonisation and financing? And how can we prevent the concentration of data centres from creating new risks?
AI is moving from "observer" to "adviser", "coordinator" and "manager". What roles do responsibility, risk, investment and development strategy play in this shift?
How can AI optimise variable renewable energy (VRE) such as wind and solar and reduce curtailment? And how can electricity markets play a bigger role in the energy markets of the future?
As AI moves from "information technology" (IT) to "operational technology" (OT) and begins to control equipment, processes and systems directly, what new problems will arise? And how can we use it safely and reliably?
Beyond attractive visa policies and access to finance, what systemic institutions and ecosystem conditions does a country or region need to retain high-calibre AI talent over the long term and unlock its innovative potential?
Every major technological and social transformation in history has initially met resistance and fear. With the same cycle now playing out around AI, the real questions are: how can we accelerate AI development while responding rationally to people's deeper concerns? And how, in global AI governance, can humanity choose collaboration and co-creation over division and walls?
Scan the QR code to download the report
Photo: The report launch
Welcoming ministers from several African countries
News clip from the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) showing WeCarbon Founder Remoca Shi in discussion with a Nigerian minister
During ADSW, WeCarbon met ministers from Mozambique, Algeria, Seychelles and Nigeria, among other countries. Almost every meeting returned to the same core question: how can resources and expertise from around the world be brought together so that clean energy projects in Africa are delivered faster, more cheaply and more sustainably?
On 15 January, at the Blue Forum, WeCarbon Founder Remoca Shi moderated the "Technology and Innovation" roundtable and held an in-depth dialogue with Rt. Hon. Dr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Nigeria's Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), on the gas transition, clean energy deployment and paths for technology cooperation. The exchange was later broadcast by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), giving more people in Africa a direct view of WeCarbon's engagement in the Global South's energy transition.
Over the past year, WeCarbon has been involved in and supported several key clean energy projects in Africa. Looking ahead, we will make further use of our technology and international partnerships to help countries in the Global South drive economic development, create more jobs and accelerate their clean energy transition and sustainable growth.
Supporting the Abu Dhabi debut of the Climate & Sustainability Photography Awards exhibition
Photo: The "Shared Horizons — Symbiosis" photography exhibition in Abu Dhabi
On 13 January, WeCarbon took part in the opening of the Abu Dhabi photography exhibition "Shared Horizons — Symbiosis". Located in the central display area at the venue entrance, the exhibition was the debut overseas exhibition of the Climate & Sustainability Photography Awards since their founding and one of the flagship cultural and art programmes of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2026, responding through images to the defining questions of global sustainable development and ecological symbiosis. With the support of Ms. Zhao Shaohua, former Vice Minister of Culture, the Awards are co-hosted by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Shanghai Climate Week and organised by the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation, with WeCarbon as a supporting organisation. Founder Ms. Remoca Shi and Mr. Jiang Chenqi, member of the Shanghai Climate Week Youth Council, curated the exhibition. Featuring award-winning works from the 2024 and 2025 Awards, the exhibition created a visual dialogue across time and cultures in an international setting.
The exhibition was built entirely from eco-friendly, recyclable materials, reflecting a sustainability approach that gives equal weight to content and form. Over the course of the show, it drew more than 30,000 visitors, and a number of global dignitaries and senior representatives who visited spoke highly of its creative presentation, public outreach and values. The photographs became an important medium connecting the public with sustainability issues and highlighted the distinctive role of culture and the arts in building global consensus on sustainable development.
We hope the Climate & Sustainability Photography Awards will attract even more international organisations and members of the public in future, using images, which cross languages and cultures, to help more people see real stories of climate and sustainability and to inspire wider resonance and action.
Supporting the ADSW sustainable fashion show
On 14 January, the ADSW organiser Masdar and the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation (SIEF) presented a spectacular sustainable fashion show at ADSW. Organised by YSS and RevougeX, the show added a futuristic touch of fashion to ADSW 2026. This sustainable fashion project debuted at Shanghai Climate Week and has gradually reached the international stage with the support of partners in several countries. Forward-thinking designers from China, the UK, Austria, Lebanon and the Middle East came together, making clever use of eco-friendly materials such as surplus yarn, pineapple leaf fibre and recycled ocean yarn to create modular, circular fashion pieces, literally putting "sustainability" on the runway. Chinese supermodel Hu Bing and Alice Ho, Co-founder of RevougeX and Director-General of the Shanghai Climate Week Youth Council, also attended in support, giving the show greater international reach and making it a standout fashion event in ADSW's history.
Built around the narrative of "a yearbook of evolving sustainable design", the show blended green development with fashion aesthetics and used fashion, a language of popular culture, to make sustainability tangible, relatable and participatory rather than abstract. As the SIEF Middle East & Africa Implementation Unit, WeCarbon's team provided end-to-end support with creative input, coordination and rehearsals, helping this cross-disciplinary event combining sustainability, design and culture run smoothly.
Photo: The sustainable fashion show
Visiting the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and Hub71
On 14 January, WeCarbon led a group of business representatives on a visit to the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Hub71, Abu Dhabi's global tech ecosystem. The two sides held in-depth discussions on sustainable development, technological innovation and artificial intelligence, and expressed their shared hope to deepen practical China-UAE cooperation at multiple levels and in multiple fields, with technological innovation as the link.
Photo: The delegation visits ADIO and Hub71
Invited to the VIP welcome dinner at Emirates Palace
On 13 January, the Zayed Sustainability Prize dinner was held in Abu Dhabi as an important continuation of the Zayed Sustainability Prize awards ceremony. The dinner brought together ministers from around the world, global policymakers, prize winners and key strategic partners of the event, representing the forces driving sustainable change in energy, water, health, education and advanced industry. WeCarbon founders Ms. Remoca Shi and Mr. Eric Ma joined sustainability partners from around the world at the dinner at Emirates Palace and watched the event's signature drone show.
Photo: The VIP welcome dinner at Emirates Palace
For WeCarbon, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2026 was an intensive week that demanded a great deal and delivered a great deal in return. With close partners from every continent, we held many sincere and practical exchanges on "AI for Sustainability". We will keep technology at our core, deepen cooperation with partners in the Middle East, Africa and around the world, and accelerate the deployment of climate technology solutions in real-world settings. We believe that sustained technological innovation and industry collaboration can bring real change to the global green, low-carbon transition. Every conversation and every action adds to the momentum driving the global green transition.