H.E. Eng. Alya Abdelrahim Alharmoodi

Her Excellency Eng. Alya Abdelrahim Alharmoodi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Sustainable Communities Sector, has served in government for almost 25 years. During this period, she has developed expertise in environmental management, public health and safety, food safety and security, laboratory services, waste management, biosecurity, and environmental emergency response. Her career began as an engineer at Dubai Municipality. She then advanced into leadership, serving as Head of the Coastal Management Section and Director of the Environment Department at the Environment, Health and Safety Agency. After over two decades in municipal service, she transitioned to the federal level, assuming her current role at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. There, she applies her experience to support the development of sustainable communities, collaborating with local authorities to unify efforts, protect natural resources, and advance the UAE’s environmental and sustainable development goals. Eng. Al Harmoodi has overseen the design and implementation of national strategies, policies, and programmes. These include the Air Quality Strategy, Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, Food Security Strategy, Groundwater Protection Policy, Natural Reserves Management Policy, State of the Environment Reports, the National Agenda for Integrated Waste Management, and the National Biosecurity Framework. She has also contributed to drafting environmental legislation and regulatory frameworks.She has led and delivered initiatives with environmental, economic, and social dimensions. Her achievements include: the pilot project for managing targeted product waste; the establishment of a national platform for trading and managing recyclable waste; the launch of DM Sat 1, the UAE’s first government-owned environmental satellite; the Smart Environmental Monitoring and Early Warning System; the redevelopment of Deira Port to support Dubai’s maritime trade sector; the development of fishermen's harbours in Jumeirah; the linking of Business Bay to Dubai Creek; the Environmental Guideline for the management and development of the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve; and contributions to the development of Hatta’s valleys and traditional aflaj. She has represented the UAE in regional and international forums. These include: the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (Geneva – 2025); the Waste Management Conference ("ECO West 2025") within the World Future Energy Summit; the Emirates Agriculture Conference and Exhibition 2025; the Bahrain International Garden Show 2025; participation in a panel discussion on the Global Initiative to Decarbonise Waste Management (Azerbaijan – COP29); meetings of the Joint Economic Committee between the UAE and the Czech Republic (2025); the 12th Gulf Municipal Works Conference (Riyadh – 2024); and the Municipal Works Conference in Prague (2024).She holds qualifications in civil engineering, government policy, and integrated coastal zone management. She has also participated in leadership development programmes, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development (MBRCLD), where she was recognised as a Distinguished Government Employee in the Technical / Engineering Field. She received the Dubai Leaders Programme Award from the Government of Dubai, and other distinctions, including the Middle East Women Leaders Excellence Award, the Community Responsibility Champions Award, and the Asian Leadership Award for her contributions to the industrial sector. Beyond her executive roles, Al Harmoodi has contributed to educational and community initiatives. She collaborated with the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood on programmes protecting children from climate change impacts. She supported the 'Donate Your Own Device' (DYOD) initiative, which promotes device recycling as part of the Digital Schools’ initiatives. She has chaired and participated in committees and working groups at local and federal levels. These include: the UAE National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the National Committee for Biosecurity, the Global Innovation Index (GII) Committee, the National Committee for Standardisation and Metrology, the Higher Committee for Regulating Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) in Umm Al Quwain, the Supervisory Committee for the Municipal Waste Treatment Plant in Dubai, the UAE Council for Environmental and Municipal Work, the Committee of the National Food Loss and Waste Initiative (ne’ma), the Dubai Regulatory Committee for Petroleum Products Trading, and the Supervisory Committee for the Waste-toEnergy Project in Dubai. She has also served as a board member of institutions, including the Zayed International Foundation for the Environment and Drydocks World in Dubai.