International financial and experts: Unifying financial sustainability standards is the key to restoring investor confidence globally
Sharjah, 22nd October / WAM / The first day of the Sharjah Investment Forum 2025, organized by the Sharjah Foreign Direct Investment Office “Invest in Sharjah”, as part of a unified agenda with the World Investment Forum, witnessed a high-level session entitled “Aligning global finance with sustainability”.
A group of international financial leaders and experts participated in the session, who discussed mechanisms for integrating sustainability concepts into the global financial system and the role of international and regional institutions in directing capital towards projects that achieve environmental, social, and governance impact, reviewing the most prominent challenges facing aligning finance with sustainability.
Creon Butler, senior director at the Royal Chatham House Institute of International Affairs in the United Kingdom, explained that global efforts to achieve sustainable financing still face a huge gap, despite progress in recent years. He pointed out that international climate initiatives estimate the volume of actual financing at about two trillion dollars, but a large portion of it has not yet been effectively directed toward real sustainability projects.
Butler stressed that the private sector is still hesitant to finance long-term projects due to their insecure nature compared to quick gains, which imposes the need for public policy intervention to correct this imbalance. He explained that transparency is an essential element in achieving this and called on governments to oblige financial institutions to fully disclose their investments and environmental emissions.
For his part, Kofi Fabrice Gosso, the main expert and head of the Innovation and Sustainable Development Finance Department at the West African Development Bank, explained that building a sustainable development strategy requires integrating the environmental, social and governance dimensions into investment decisions, stressing that this methodology will lead to long-term investments that support sustainable economic growth.
Joso explained that development institutions must engage in real institutional reforms to ensure efficient financing, noting that awareness and dissemination of knowledge represent a fundamental pillar in the path of transformation and sustainability, as economic sustainability cannot be achieved without the active participation of all parties.
Ahmed Aboud, CFO of Ghassan Aboud Group, reviewed the private sector’s experience in balancing profitability and environmental and social responsibility, stressing the importance of raising awareness of ESG standards in emerging markets that still lag behind their developed counterparts in this field.
He stressed the need to build clear and integrated platforms that allow investors and companies to understand how to apply sustainability standards and benefit from them, pointing out that awareness is the first step towards real transformation, and that each sector and each country has different needs, so one model cannot be applied to everyone, but rather customized solutions must be designed that take into account the nature of each market and each company.
For his part, Wolfgang Engel, Director General and Regional Representative of the Institute of International Finance in the Middle East and Africa, stressed that unifying environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure standards has become a global priority, as the current standards are still not unified and do not provide sufficient transparency for investors. He explained that the next stage requires international cooperation to develop reliable and comparable disclosure frameworks so that investors feel… With confidence in injecting their capital into sustainable projects.
Youssef Salem, Chief Financial Officer of ADNOC Drilling, said that the United Arab Emirates has come a long way in the transition towards sustainability thanks to investment in modern technologies and artificial intelligence.
He explained that the country has become a major energy center and is working hard to bridge the gaps between the needs of economic growth and the requirements of the environment, noting that the use of advanced technology in drilling operations has enabled the company to raise efficiency and reduce emissions at the same time. He stressed that the current scene is more optimistic than ever before, pointing out that geopolitical issues affect the path of development, but the strategic vision of the Emirates and its ability to adapt put it in a position Leadership in achieving a real balance between energy and sustainability.
International economist Dr. Mohammed Al-Erian, senior advisor to Allianz, one of the most prominent financial minds in the world, confirmed that the United Arab Emirates is moving in the right direction thanks to the wise and exceptional vision of its leadership, which has made artificial intelligence and modern technologies key tools to enable the future, praising the country’s ability to create a safe environment for dialogue, innovation, and stimulating economic growth.
This came during a high-level session entitled “Mitigate Investment Risks in Light of Global Shocks” that brought together Dr. Al-Erian with Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, Head of the Department of Government Relations in Sharjah, as part of the activities of the first day of the “Sharjah Investment Forum”, which is held within a unified agenda with the “World Investment Conference” 2025, attracting an elite group of decision makers and economic experts from around the world.
Regarding Sharjah’s experience in attracting investments and enhancing the business environment, Al-Erian pointed out that the emirate adopts unique methodologies that contributed to creating an environment in which all economic components interact transparently and flexibly, which led to enhancing confidence in its local markets.
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