The Ras Al Khaimah Municipality held a virtual event to officially launch the Green Public Procurement (GPP) programme of Ras Al Khaimah.

The event revealed the newly-developed GPP guidelines, which will support the adoption of sustainable procurement practices in Ras Al Khaimah in the coming years, starting with government entities, reported state-run news agency Wam.

The webinar witnessed the attendance of several officials from government entities, private organisations and media representatives.

The launch of the programme comes after initial steps made by the Government of Ras Al Khaimah in the past, to procure products and services with low environmental impact. In 2018, the Environment Protection and Development Authority of Ras Al Khaimah launched green fishing ports. Over the same period, the municipality, through Barjeel, the green building regulations of Ras Al Khaimah, and through the Building Retrofits programme, has been promoting more sustainable buildings. The Public Service Department has recently engaged in green procurement in multiple projects as well.

Following the success of these initiatives, a specialised team was set up to develop a framework to ensure adoption of green criteria in purchase decisions more systematically. Going forward, the Department of Finance of Ras Al Khaimah will operate as programme administrator for the GPP and will coordinate its implementation across the government.

Munther Mohammed bin Shekar, Director-General of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, in his opening speech, said: "From the perspective of economic development, buying green also means generating demand for green products and services. This will stimulate the growth of a local eco-system of skilled companies, which will support the economic development of Ras Al Khaimah in the long run.

"The GPP guidelines will be applied voluntarily, leveraging the examples of environmental leadership that are already present within the Government of Ras Al Khaimah. We expect a positive response from government entities, given their involvement in the design phase of the guidelines,” he added.

The guidelines include criteria for procurement of frequently purchased product categories, such as paper, furniture, light vehicles, AC, household appliances, carpets, etc. The criteria are designed to be easily adopted in government tenders.

The GPP is an enabler of the Ras Al Khaimah Energy Efficiency and Renewables, EE&R, Strategy 2040, established under the patronage of Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, and targets 30 percent energy savings, 20 percent water savings, and 20 percent contribution of electricity from renewable sources by 2040.

The programme contributes to the UAE Green Agenda 2030 and National Climate Change Plan 2017-2050 at a federal level, while at an international level; it supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals and subsequently the commitments of the UAE towards the Paris Agreement. The overall framework outlined in the guidelines supports Ras Al Khaimah’s participation in international reporting initiatives for global carbon emission reduction, as it follows the definitions of the greenhouse gas protocol.