UAE kicks off preps for COP28
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has kicked off preparations for the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) which will take place in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023.
UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has appointed a team to steer the preparations, led by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber to serve as COP President. Dr Al Jaber, who is the current Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology for UAE, has served as Special Envoy for Climate Change for two terms (2010–2016, 2020–present).
Dr Al Jaber will develop the COP28 agenda, in partnership with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Simon Stiell and the Egyptian COP27 President Sameh Shoukry.
UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs Shamma Al Mazrui will also join the team as the Youth Climate Champion while the President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Razan Al Mubarak will serve as the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion. Al Mazrui is also the Vice Chair of the Arab Youth Center, the Secretary General of the Education and Human Resources Council, the Chairperson for Special Olympics UAE, and the President of the National Center for Education Quality.
Roles of the COP28 President
As COP28 President-Designate, Dr Al Jaber will play a crucial role in leading the intergovernmental process, building consensus, and driving climate outcomes with a broad range of partners, including business and civil society, to raise ambition.
"The UAE is approaching COP28 with a strong sense of responsibility and the highest possible level of ambition. In cooperation with the UNFCCC and the COP27 Presidency, we will champion an inclusive agenda that ramps up action on mitigation, encourages a just energy transition that leaves no one behind, ensures substantial, affordable climate finance is directed to the most vulnerable, accelerates funding for adaptation and builds out a robust funding facility to address loss and damage,” Dr Al Jaber said.
Dr Al Jaber announced that COP28 will undertake the first ever Global Stocktake (GST) since the Paris Agreement. The GST will provide the foundation to build momentum for COP28 and future COPs, according to Dr Al Jaber.
"This will be a critical moment to mobilize political will to respond to what the science tells us will need to be achieved to remain on target and limit global warming to 1.5C by 2050,” he added.
COP28 is expected to convene over 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts, youth, and non-state actors.
