08.00 Registration and coffee
09.00 Welcome address
Ivan Mozharov, Co-founder, Offset8 Capital
Alejandra Padin-Dujon, LATAM Editor and Senior MENA Correspondent, Carbon Pulse
09.10 Keynote: The UAE’s role as a carbon hub
- Building a robust carbon market ecosystem to support national and regional net zero goals
H.E. Amb. Majid Al Suwaidi, CEO, ALTÈRRA
09.15 Welcome speaker
H.E. Edward Hobart, His Majesty’s British Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates
09.20 Advancing the UAE’s carbon market
- By combining national regulations, carbon trading platforms, financial market integration, and CORSIA obligations, the UAE is building a transparent, high-integrity carbon ecosystem that channels investment into credible decarbonisation projects, while positioning the country as a regional hub for carbon finance. For companies, this creates both new compliance obligations and significant market opportunities. What scale of growth are government and industry aiming to achieve?
Moderator:
Mike Szabo, CEO and Co-founder, Carbon Pulse and Co-founder and Director, Carbon Forward
Panellists:
Abdelmuti Ahmed Murad, Director, Climate Change Department, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), UAE
Fatima Alhammadi, Senior Specialist – Environment (Acting UAE CAEP member, UAE CORSIA focal point), Aviation Safety Affairs, GCAA
Eman Alsuwaidi, Article 6 and Carbon Markets Expert, National Experts Program
Adel Seif El Nasr, Senior Specialist, Carbon Management, ADNOC Group
10.00 Global carbon market growth – will the MENA region become a key driver?
Carbon markets have a compelling growth outlook. What is the anticipated size of the MENA carbon market and what can be learned from existing models to assist the region to reach its potential?
Moderator:
Mark Lewis, Partner and Managing Director, Climate Finance Partners
Presenters:
Lars Kroijer, Founder & Managing Director, AlliedOffsets
10.30 Coffee and networking break
11.00 State of play in Middle Eastern Carbon Markets – ambition meets action
- Governments and the private sector in the Middle East are translating climate ambition into concrete action to build robust carbon markets. This session explores developments on the ground with perspectives from the private sector on market needs, from government on moving this forward and how exchanges are navigating market design and delivery in the Middle East.
Moderator:
Alejandra Padin-Dujon, LATAM Editor and Senior MENA Correspondent, Carbon Pulse
Panellists:
Nawal Alhanaee, Director of Future Energy Department, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure UAE
Gordon Bennett, Managing Director, Utility Markets, ICE
Chris Leeds, Head of Carbon Markets Development, Standard Chartered
Ellora-Julie Parekh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Al-Futtaim
11.40 Country updates: Carbon market development across the region – mechanisms and carbon pricing frameworks
- Countries across the region are developing a range of carbon market mechanisms, each at different stages of progress. This session will provide key country updates on Saudi Arabia’s Greenhouse Gas Crediting and Offsetting Mechanism (GCOM), Egypt’s evolving regulated voluntary carbon market, and Turkiye’s progress towards launching its ETS, examining what these developments mean for the future of regional carbon markets
Moderator:
Neeshad Shafi, Manager – Stakeholder Engagement, Offset8 Capital
Panellists:
Mr. Humaid Abdulla Kanji, Head of Environmental Economics, EAD
Mourad Fathallah, Head Strategy, Casablanca Finance City Authority
Erik Ringvold, Chief Business Development Officer, VCM
Orhan Solak, Vice President of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, Turkiye
12.20 Prayer time
12.20 Lunch and networking
13.40 Article 6 implementation and regional readiness
- This session will highlight the differing levels of Article 6 readiness across the Middle East, examining emerging trends and considering what they mean in the context of the wider UNFCCC framework. It will focus on Oman, as it works to position itself as a host country and Morocco, which recently authorised its first Article 6 project while building up legal and regulatory infrastructure
Moderator:
Alejandra Padin-Dujon, LATAM Editor and Senior MENA Correspondent, Carbon Pulse
Panellists:
Anas Felhi, General Manager – North Africa, Foundation for Climate Protection and Carbon Offset KliK
Ahmad Qadry, Co-founder and Business Development Manager, Ampere
Nacif Safouane, Senior Programme Officer, Global Green Growth Institute
14.20 Making returns in global compliance markets
- As more countries adopt emissions trading systems (ETSs) and other cap-and-trade models, global compliance markets are expanding rapidly. This session will explore where traction is evident, what lessons can be drawn from established markets, and how they compare to other compliance mechanisms. This session will particularly hone in on the EU and UK ETSs
Moderator
Mark Lewis, Partner and Managing Director, Climate Finance Partners
Panellists:
Dr. Malek Al-Chalabi, Senior Advisor, Carbon Pricing, Shell
Joel Davis, Senior Consultant, NERA
Muireann Mageras, Global Head of Sustainability Strategy, Hartree Partners
15.00 Afternoon tea
15.30 The next phase of carbon markets? Voluntary and compliance market convergence beyond carbon credits
- Carbon markets are entering a new phase as voluntary and compliance frameworks increasingly converge. Alongside traditional carbon credits, markets are beginning to price carbon-differentiated fuels, metals, and other commodities. This session explores how emissions performance can be compared and rewarded across schemes and what is needed for a functional carbon-differentiated market. Grounded in early market data, the discussion will focus on design choices, such as interoperability, benchmarks, and pricing, and what is needed over the next 2 to 3 years for carbon-differentiated markets to scale credibly, in the Middle East and globally.
Moderator:
Allister Furey, CEO and Co-founder, Sylvera
Panellists:
Liliana Calderon, Senior Specialist – CCS Compliance & Certification for Low Carbon Fuels, ADNOC Group
Fabrice Tayot, Carbon Business Development Manager – EMEA, S&P Global Commodity Insights
16.00 Building confidence in the VCM
- As the voluntary market continues to recover from its early 2023 crash, will strengthened standards, Core Carbon Principles labels (CCPs), and other integrity measures help unlock new investment? What role will MRV technologies and ratings agencies play in rebuilding trust, and how can project developers restore investor confidence?
Moderator:
Katie Sullivan, Managing Director, IETA
Panellists:
Heather McEwan, Senior Manager, Africa and the Middle East, Verra
Tommy Ricketts, CEO and Co-founder, BeZero Carbon
Oguz Tosun, CEO & Co-Founder, Climate Balanced
16.40 VCM buyers – what, why and when?
This session explores the decision-making of carbon credit buyers across both voluntary and compliance markets. We’ll examine which types of credits are in demand, how purchasing strategies are evolving, and the key factors shaping buyer behaviour. It will also dive into why, how, and what buyers enable
Moderator:
Sara Stefanini, EMEA Policy Editor, Carbon Pulse
Panellists:
Seneca Cottom, Chief Sustainability Officer, Alshaya Group
Abhishek Dewangan, Data & Analytics Lead – EMEA HQ, Microsoft
Abdul Rashid Kizhakkayil, Section Head, Environment & Sustainability and Safety, Sharjah Airport
17.20 Close of day one
08.00 Registration and coffee
08.00 Women in Carbon breakfast
09.00 Opening remarks from Carbon Forward
Sara Stefanini, EMEA Climate Policy Editor, Carbon Pulse
09.10 EU CBAM impacts in the Middle East
- This session will break down the CBAM timeline, reporting obligations, and upcoming compliance requirements, before examining how governments and industries are preparing. It will also explore what CBAM means for regional exporters: the risks, the adjustments needed, and where new opportunities may emerge
Moderator:
Bill Goldie, Environmental Markets Director, Redshaw Advisors
Panellists:
Yousef Abbas, Director – Environment and Climate, AD Ports Group
Dr. Dimitrios Dimitriou, Vice President – ESG & Sustainability, EMSTEEL Group
Hesham Yehia Khalifa, Group Sustainability Director, Fertiglobe
09.50 Aviation and CORSIA – preparing the region’s aviation sector
- This session will outline CORSIA’s scope, core obligations, and emerging opportunities for airlines in the region. It will focus on how governments are supporting the sector and the compliance strategies that are being developed
Moderator:
Andrea Bonzanni, International Policy Director, IETA
Panellists:
Faris Pleho, Head of Aviation and CORSIA, MSCI
Charlie Poole, Head of Carbon Advisory, Howden Group
Maryam Telmesani, Vice President, Sustainability, Saudi Airlines
10.30 Coffee and networking break
11.10 Removals – regional nature-based and engineered removal solutions
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An exploration of carbon removal solutions across the Middle East with a specific focus on the UAE and Oman. How is the region integrating nature-based and engineered removals into regulated and voluntary markets?
Moderator:
Cameron Murdoch, Environmental Markets Correspondent, Carbon Pulse
Panellists:
Omar El Nemr, Lead – Project Management and Structuring, MENA, VNV
Abbie Mabey, Carbon Markets and Verification Lead, 44.01
Nikita Parfeniouk, Originator, Offset8 Capital
Jack Satzewich, Director, Ostrom Climate Solutions
11.50 CCUS – industrial decarbonisation and its role in oil producing countries
- CCUS is emerging as a key tool for industrial decarbonisation, particularly in oil-producing countries. This discussion will explore how CCS and CCUS fit into national and regional climate strategies and the opportunities for scaling development
Moderator:
Cameron Murdoch, Environmental Markets Correspondent, Carbon Pulse
Panellists:
Abhishek Dewangan, Data & Analytics Lead – EMEA HQ, Microsoft
Anna Griffin, Head of Sustainability & Advocacy, Holcim UAE
Dr. Mohammad Abu Zahra, Chief Regional Officer – MEA, Global CCS Institute
12.40 Prayer time
12.40 Lunch and networking
14.00 The UAE Consensus goals: tripling renewables and doubling efficiency – how can carbon markets help?
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Four years to go on the UAE Consensus goals to triple renewables capacity and double efficiency. Did COP30 help spur progress, and what more is needed? What are the obstacles and opportunities facing these targets, and what is the Middle East’s role in helping to meet them? Can carbon markets help in meeting these goals, and if so, how?
Moderator:
Sara Stefanini, EMEA Climate Policy Editor, Carbon Pulse
Panellists:
Elmir Musayev, General Director, SOCAR Green
Kishor Rajhansa, COO, Global Carbon Council
14.30 Mobilising capital for the net zero transition in heavy emitting sectors
- As the massive capital needed for the net zero transition becomes apparent, the Middle East region’s sovereign wealth vehicles, investment funds, and exchanges are all playing a role in mobilising climate finance. Who are these players, and what are they doing to facilitate decarbonisation?
Moderator:
Heather Buchanan, CEO, Bankers for Net Zero (B4NZ)
Panellists:
Fazil Abdul Rahiman, Group Director, Sustainability and Climate Change, TAQA
Jules Maitrepierre, Co-founder, Offset8 Capital
15.00 Afternoon tea
15.10 CBAM deep dive workshop – overview, risk management, reporting
- Designed for decision-makers and managers in CBAM and ETS-exposed industries, the workshop covers everything from real-world case studies on managing CBAM risk, to upcoming regulatory changes and cost projections for CBAM in the coming years
Host:
Bill Goldie, Environmental Markets Director, Redshaw Advisors
16.10 Close of day two
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