Page 310 - MOET ENGLISH PR REPORT - OCTOBER 2025 (Part 1)

10/29/25, 11:16 AM Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Expo City Dubai and partners launch UAE’s first Green Innovation District – a catalyst for sust…
and services. It will offer flexible office, retail and F&B space as well as a number of light industrial unit
and farm plots.

As part of its free zone – which was awarded fDi Intelligence’s global “rising star” free zone for 2025 –
Expo City will launch UAE’s first Green Licence aimed at attracting entities committed to environmental

and social sustainability. Offering a host of incentives to enable companies to set up and operate
seamlessly, the licence will encourage innovation and support green business growth. In addition, the
Ministry of Economy will set up an IP Office at Expo City Dubai to encourage research and development.
Both initiatives are designed to increase the UAE’s competitiveness in attracting innovators and

advance sustainable practices.

Why Expo City Dubai?

Expo City, designed as a blueprint for sustainable urban development, builds on its legacy as the home
of Expo 2020 Dubai and COP28 to create a hub for sustainability pioneers and a driver of meaningful
partnerships and initiatives.

Its master plan is pre-certified Platinum – the highest possible rating – in LEED (Leadership in Energy

and Environmental Design) Cities and Communities standard, while LEED Gold will continue to be a
minimum requirement for all buildings. The plan has also achieved pre-certification for WELL
Community – a standard that emphasises health and wellbeing – and is targeting WELL Gold. Having

already achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating under BREEAM Infrastructure across eight existing projects, the
city is aiming to reach this rating for all infrastructure and public realm projects.

As a go-to destination for globally significant events, Expo City boasts multiple ISO 20121:2024-certified
indoor and outdoor venues, demonstrating its eco-credentials for the planned ‘Green Investopia’
conference in 2026 – an event dedicated to exploring key trends in green investing and attract

investment to the UAE. An off-shoot of the Investopia series of conferences organised by the Ministry,
this will further strengthen Expo City’s position as a convening hub.

Terra – a LEED Platinum-certified building, designed to be net zero for both energy and water –
exemplifies best practice in sustainable building design and is Expo City’s hub for biodiversity and

conservation. Pioneering initiatives focused on preserving and sustaining our planet, it has partnered
with the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) to
establish the world’s first Centre for Species Survival dedicated to fungi. It is also the regional office of
Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots programme – a global environmental, animal welfare, and humanitarian
youth outreach initiative.

In addition, Expo City’s city-wide testbed provides a real urban environment to trial and scale nature-first
ideas with global impact, creating competitive advantages for businesses by boosting resource
efficiency and supporting innovation and collaboration. Many companies focused on clean energy and

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