UAE’s Minister of State and Special Envoy for Climate Change, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, has been chosen as the President of the upcoming 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Speaking in a virtual press conference, Dr. Al Jaber declared his commitment to listening and engaging with the parties involved in the summit.
The COP28, slated to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from November 1-12 of 2021, will be the most important climate summit since the Paris Agreement of 2015. The summit aims to bring countries together to assess progress made since Paris and set the terms for a new set of more ambitious targets for 2030 and beyond. Dr. Al Jaber expressed the importance of the summit, and the need to approach it with a holistic view of the challenges posed by climate change.
The minister also expressed his readiness to engage with the international community in order to achieve meaningful and lasting progress. He expressed his belief in the power of collaboration and the necessity of bringing diverse perspectives together in order to achieve the goals set out by the Paris Agreement. He also emphasized the importance of local action and the role of the private sector in making progress.
Dr. Al Jaber concluded his remarks by expressing his willingness to listen to the concerns of all stakeholders and his commitment to making the COP28 a success. With the summit just over a year away, a successful outcome is far from assured. However, with Dr. Al Jaber’s commitment to listening, engaging, and collaborating with all involved, the COP28 could prove to be a momentous opportunity for positive change.