 Every country in the world wants energy security, wants to create jobs and promote sustainable prosperity and wants to encourage its young people to build skills and plan for the future. And these days every country also wants to do this while reaching their climate goals, so their young people actually have a future worth planning for. Investing in nuclear power allows a country to work on all of these factors at once, as many governments are realizing. The United Arab Emirates is a compelling case study because it has ambitious climate goals. It's the first country in the region to build the nuclear power plant and it is growing a domestic nuclear industry from scratch. The United Arab Emirates is home to around nine million people and has grown fast over the last few decades leading to increasing energy needs. The desert state is traditionally an economy powered by oil and gas but has now pledged to reduce its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. The UAE is currently the seventh largest carbon dioxide emitter per capita but is hoping to become a climate leader being the first country in the Middle East to develop a pathway to net zero and hosting the UN's Climate Change Conference in 2023. We're on a journey to net zero. The UAE is already in the transition and is going towards a more greener and sustainable economy. The country has built the world's largest solar power plant at Aldafra and is in the process of turning on the last of four large reactors at Baraka nuclear energy plant. Construction for Baraka began in 2012 and the first reactor was switched on in 2020. Baraka nuclear energy plant really aims to supply up to 25 percent of the UAE's electricity needs once it's fully operational and when it will be operational it will prevent up to 21 million tons of carbon emissions every year and this is basically like removing 4.8 million cars from the roads. My name is Jawahar Alblouchi. I'm 29. I am a senior reactor operator here at Baraka nuclear energy plant. So why nuclear? Our country's goal was to provide clean, reliable energy and nuclear was the answer for that question. Nuclear energy provides a base load technology that is clean and it helps the UAE also to expand its renewable portfolio but also to strengthen our reliability in the grid. The UAE is operating advanced pressurized water nuclear reactors adapted to suit the climatic conditions of the country. The more you learn about nuclear energy the more you trust it. We have the most advanced technology when it's come to operating safely and reliable. By 2022 Baraka was supplying 50 percent of the emirate of Abu Dhabi's clean electricity but back in 2008 when the UAE first decided to launch its nuclear power program it needed not only to build the physical infrastructure but also an entire domestic knowledge base. Baraka has more than 3,000 employees from 50 countries and is in the midst of a significant capacity building exercise transferring industry knowledge from international experts to locals. So the nuclear power and Baraka nuclear power plan they play a major role in the future of energy in the UAE that being with a prime initiative to achieve net zero by 2050 and not only on the energy side of the power supply but also in training and enabling the youth in the UAE to be the future leaders for in the energy sector. The UAE's energy pioneers program works to attract emirate science students to a career in nuclear science and technology. By doing my PhD in nuclear engineering I'm able to combine my passion for scientific research and my commitment to sustainable energy in one. As a young person I really do think a lot about the climate crisis and it's now our job to stand forward and try to help mitigate these issues and that's why I've chosen to pursue a career in nuclear engineering because I truly believe that it's very important in the energy mix. So far more than 500 people have gone through the program and over 20 of them are young women. Here in the UAE it's really important for women to take part of the nuclear development since we've started as a newcomer country so it's really a good opportunity to start from now from the beginning. So here in the UAE 20 percent of the workforce are females so you will find this in every field and every role. Again a very high number of females here in the industry means that we all can support each other. If a young woman is interested in nuclear sector here in the UAE I would definitely say for her please go ahead. You have a lot of opportunities and we should always have this diversification of genders because it is needed for more innovative solutions and for a better working environment. Young people like to have a job they're passionate about. They like to pursue a career that they feel they're contributing to society and addressing society's issues and challenges. If you want young people to study STEM we should inspire them. Our nuclear energy program advances the intellectual wealth of the nation. It inspires our young people to be the clean energy leaders of the future. What an incredible benefit that is.