Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the chief executive officer of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has been named to lead the COP28 global climate talks in Dubai.
He is also the minister for industry and advanced technology for the COP28 hosts, the United Arab Emirates.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Thursday, January 12, announced the leadership team for COP28 UAE, taking place at Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023.
Al Nahyan designated Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber to serve as COP President. Dr. Al Jaber will develop the COP28 agenda, in partnership with the UNFCCC’s Executive Secretary Simon Stiell and the Egyptian COP27 President Sameh Shoukry.
Al Nahyan also appointed Shamma Al Mazrui, UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Her Excellency Razan Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as the Youth Climate Champion and UN Climate Change High-Level Champion, respectively.
The statement reads in part, “As the first country in the region to ratify the Paris Agreement, the first to commit to an economy-wide reduction in emissions, and the first to announce a Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative, the UAE is committed to raising ambition in this critical decade for climate action.
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“The UAE is honoured to have been endorsed as the host for COP28. Its bid for this role was rooted in its commitment to global responsibility and climate action in recognition of the critical importance of COP28 as the first Global Stocktake (GST) review since the Paris Agreement.
“As such, the UAE has appointed a strong and diverse leadership team to support practical, inclusive, and transformational progress as the outcomes of a successful COP28.”
Commenting on his appointment as President of COP28, Dr. Al Jaber said:
“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.
“I sincerely believe that climate action today is an immense economic opportunity for investment in sustainable growth. Finance is the key that can unlock climate action and the UAE is committed to supporting and facilitating the review of the international financial institutions to scale up public financing, leverage private finance and improve access.
“In doing so, we will bring a pragmatic, realistic and solutions-oriented approach that delivers transformative progress for the climate and low carbon economic growth. As a nation at the crossroads of the globe, the UAE is well-positioned to build bridges, foster consensus and bring the world together in one shared mission to keep 1.5C alive and protect the planet for the generations who will follow us.
“We will take an inclusive approach that engages all stakeholders from the public and private sectors, civil society, scientific community, women, and youth. We must especially focus on how climate action can address the needs of the Global South, as those most impacted by climate change.”
