By Celestine Okorie

As part of the UAE humanitarian initiative, ‘20by2020’, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has announced the recent deployment of sustainable lighting solutions at Prince Hamzah Hospital in the Jordanian capital Amman. The hospital is currently treating the largest number of COVID-19 patients in the country.

Sunna Design, the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2018 winner under the ‘Energy category’ and a France-based SME, is installing its high-performance energy-efficient LED solar lights within the parameter of the popular public hospital, to provide sustainable lighting and enhance the safety of the area for more than 3,000 people and more than 100 medical staff, on a daily basis.

20by2020 is a UAE-driven initiative led by the Zayed Sustainability Prize in partnership with Abu Dhabi Global Market, Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Mubadala Petroleum, Year of Tolerance and Masdar, in addition to Majid Al Futtaim, who recently joined the initiative in support of the Jordan deployment.

Commenting on the occasion, UAE Minister of State and Director-General of the Zayed Sustainability Prize H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber said: “The 20by2020 initiative deploys the solutions of Zayed Sustainability Prize winners and finalists, to effectively impact communities and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges in health, food, energy and water. This is in line with the vision of the UAE’s wise leadership to support development efforts around the world and embody the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed to strengthen sustainability, and this is an area that represents  an inspiring roadmap as we seek positive progress.”

H.E. Al Jaber added, “The latest 20by2020 deployment, comes at a time when medical staff at Prince Hamzah Hospital, a key pillar in Jordan’s public healthcare sector, take on a critical role in combatting COVID-19, and we are honoured to provide practical sustainable solutions to further bolster the hospital’s strong capabilities and efforts.”

H.E. Al Jaber went on to say that the steadfast support of the 20by2020 partners has been instrumental in the initiative’s global success, as all parties work collaboratively to leverage common values and empower communities through impactful solutions.

On his part, Jordan’s Minister of Health, H.E. Dr. Saad Jaber stated, “The 20by2020 initiative coincides with the pivotal responsibility and role that Prince Hamzah Hospital and its staff are playing in treating the largest number of coronavirus patients in Jordan, in partnership with the  Ministry of Health. On behalf of the Hospital and Jordan’s healthcare sector, I would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to the Zayed Sustainability Prize, in addition to the 20by2020 partners, for installing these important environmentally-friendly solutions, and we look forward to exploring other avenues of future collaboration.”

The 20by2020 initiative oversees the donation and deployment of previous Prize winners’ and finalists’ technologies, to communities around the world, with the aim of championing and effectively driving the sustainability and humanitarian values of the UAE’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed, while pursuing key global sustainable development goals.

The first phase of 20by2020 is currently overseeing the installation of solutions in 10 countries – with four countries already rolled out to date, including Nepal, Tanzania and Uganda. The initiative will also deploy another 10 solutions by the end of the year; however, the timings are dependent on the individual country-specific conditions in light of the global pandemic.

Upcoming technology deployments include energy and water-related projects in Egypt, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Madagascar and Costa Rica.