GLASGOW, 2nd November, 2021 — The Asia Pacific Group of nations today endorsed the UAE’s bid to host the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in 2023, at the COP26 summit in Glasgow, which brings nation states together to accelerate action on the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, leading the UAE delegation to COP26, said, “We are grateful and honoured with the endorsement to host COP28 in the UAE in 2023, and look forward to the confirmation of the UNFCCC. As a young, inclusive country that celebrates its Golden Jubilee this year, we believe partnership is the key to progress and to solving global challenges. Our vision is to work with all countries to realise net economic benefits from accelerated climate change action.”
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah said, “We are grateful for the endorsement of the Asia Pacific group of nations, indeed of all our partners in the international community advancing concrete solutions to the very real threat of climate change.
“Guided by this trust and our 30-year legacy of positive climate action, culminating in the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative announced before this year’s UN Climate Conference in Glasgow, we are even more determined as a nation to forge ever stronger partnerships, and to innovate new technologies and solutions, to bring about a more sustainable future, both for present and future generations of UAE citizens, and the citizens of countries around the world.”
Malik Amin Aslam, Minister for Climate Change and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Chair of the Asia Pacific Group, said, “We are pleased to announce the brotherly country of UAE as the consensus candidate of the Asia Pacific Group for COP28. We would like to wish them the best and are confident for a very successful COP in the Asia Pacific region in 2023.”
30 years of climate action For more than three decades, the UAE has acted with foresight in tackling climate change. The nation has shown unwavering commitment towards investment projects aimed at mitigating and adapting to climate challenges, and more importantly, creating a positive economic impact for its people.
A critical player in the region, the UAE is now calling for bolder action. This October, it launched the Net Zero by 2050 Strategy, an ambitious national drive to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
In addition, the UAE is determined to support the international community and find practical ways to implement and drive change. It is also calling for closer analysis of future climate-related risks and “anticipatory action” – a humanitarian model that releases resources in advance of reliably predicted climate disasters.
Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change, said, “COP 28 will be especially significant as the first stocktake of national commitments after the Paris Agreement. Our goal will be to make COP 28 as inclusive and action-oriented as possible; a solutions COP that brings together developed and developing countries and unites all sectors – public, private, academic and civil society – around a focus on tangible solutions.”
Investments in clean energy projects The use of renewable energy has been integral to the UAE’s multifaceted strategy to reduce emissions and ward off the worst effects of global warming. These initiatives include solar power, carbon capture, and hydrocarbon energy. In recent years, UAE has invested an estimated US$17 billion in clean energy projects in 70 countries, with a focus on developing countries.
