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GE is a Silver Sponsor of the event, and in line with this year’s theme of ‘Green Economy in a Changing Arab World,’ the company will put the spotlight on its ecomagination commitment, designed to imagine and build innovative technologies that help customers address their environmental and financial needs.

Nabil Habayeb, GE’s President & Chief Executive Officer for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, will address a panel discussion on ‘Green Economy: An Engine for Growth,’ emphasizing on the need for stronger public policy backed by private sector initiatives to create new ‘green jobs’ that takes the region towards a more energy-efficient future, while addressing the need to create opportunities for the Middle East’s youth population.

Habayeb said: “Massive infrastructure development and population growth in the Middle East are driving demand for energy and water – two scarce resources – underscoring the need to adapt sustainable development initiatives. Strong public private partnerships and a commitment to environment-friendly practices – both at the corporate and individual level – will help in addressing the pressing challenges faced by the region, and set the platform for a greener economy.”

He added: “One of the key drivers in ushering in a green economy is a focus on innovation. GE’s path-breaking Global Innovation Barometer – based on a survey of business executives across the world including the Middle East – highlights the importance of innovation as the main lever for a greener national economy. Innovation and localized research will play a central role in achieving the region’s larger goals of sustainable development.”

GE’s ecomagination initiative has been enabling its partners in the region to address energy challenges by boosting efficiency. There are more than 110 ecomagination certified products – many of them applied in the Middle East region - underscoring the practical application and relevance of environmental-friendly technologies for modern lifestyles. The ecomagination products and services are used in the region’s aviation, energy, oil & gas, water and transportation sectors, promoting energy and water use efficiency.

Among GE’s ecomagination certified products is the GEnx aircraft engine, which has a 15 percent lower fuelburn during cruise than the platform it replaces. GE Aviation’s advanced GE90-115B and GEnx jet engines have found wide acceptance by Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Jazeera Airways, Oman Air and Saudi Arabian.

GE Energy products like leading-edge wind turbines, photovoltaic cells, and Jenbacher engines are used by industrial customers and municipalities including in Lebanon. These are being used in the capturing of methane gas, which is emitted from municipality solid waste landfills. The captured methane gas is used as a fuel injected in GE Jenbacher engines to producer power.

GE has strengthened its new commitment to invest an additional US$10 billion in ecomagination research and development by 2015. Last year, the company recorded six per cent growth in ecomagination revenues to US$18 billion. The company also reduced water consumption by 30 percent in 2009 compared to a 2006 baseline surpassing the original goal of 20 percent by 2012.

The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) is a not-for-profit regional non-governmental organization that brings together experts the civil society, business community and media, to promote prudent environmental policies and programmes across the Arab region. A special plenary session will be dedicated to discuss Arab participation at the upcoming Climate Change negotiations in Cancun, Mexico in December.