The UAE hosts the Regional Climate Change Dialogue for the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Middle East and North Africa

Next Sunday, April 4, the UAE will host the regional dialogue on climate action, which will be held prior to the leaders' summit for climate in Washington, DC, later this month, and in preparation for the convening of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Climate Change Convention (COP26).

The regional dialogue will witness the participation of the US Presidential Envoy for Climate Change, John Kerry, the President of the 26th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Alok Sharma, and a number of ministers and senior stakeholders in climate affairs from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the Middle East and North Africa.

In line with its pioneering role in climate action and based on its long track record in supporting the environment and sustainability, the UAE has also invited the Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Francesco Lacamera, to attend the regional climate change dialogue that focuses on national and regional preparations for the 26th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), which will be held between 1 and 12 November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland, which brings together many countries to accelerate efforts to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Special Envoy for Climate Change, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, said on this occasion: “Thanks to the sound vision of the wise leadership, the UAE views advanced climate action as it provides great opportunities to promote the growth of the economy, its diversification, the exchange of knowledge and the refinement of skills, as well as the contribution. In finding practical solutions to confront a global challenge that affects all societies around the world. "

He added, "We are pleased to host this regional climate change dialogue in the UAE, and we welcome all the participants and representatives, and we look forward with great importance to the convening of the regional climate change dialogue in Abu Dhabi with the participation of John Kerry, the US President's Envoy on Climate Change, and Alok Sharma, President of the 26th session of the United Nations Conference." On climate change, and many representatives of large economies in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Middle East and North Africa, ”explaining that“ the UAE has demonstrated a strong and long-term commitment to progressive climate action and has worked to enhance sustainable development efforts around the world, and we are all confident that we will be able through This regional dialogue has created greater momentum to move forward in accelerating climate action. "

He said, "In conjunction with global efforts to find new paths to recover from the repercussions of the" Covid-19 "pandemic, the visit of the US presidential envoy supports our joint efforts to develop a specific approach that contributes to complementing roles, joining efforts and finding smart and sustainable solutions to reduce the impacts of climate change.

He continued, “We are already witnessing pioneering models in climate action across our region, including the recently announced Green Middle East Initiative by sisterly Saudi Arabia. The regional climate change dialogue will provide a platform to unite the efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the Middle East and North Africa. In order to reach advanced and practical solutions that can help countries of the world achieve their climate goals, while achieving sustainable, technology-based growth.

For his part, COP26 President Alok Sharma said: “It is extremely important for the countries of the world to cooperate to address the challenges of climate change, so that these countries provide (zero) targets and targets related to reducing emissions in the near term (NDCs for 2030). ) And in order to keep the temperature of the planet at 1.5 degrees Celsius.

He added, “There is no doubt that moving to a clean economy can be of great benefit to all of us by creating jobs, stimulating sustainable development, and securing clean air. We are already beginning to see real progress in this regard, as the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Middle East and North Africa is well positioned to take advantage of the economic opportunities of this transformation.

With the implications of climate change already clear to everyone in the region, the UK will use its presidency of the Conference of States Parties (COP26) to build more momentum on ways to adapt to climate challenges, helping to protect countries, communities and individuals from the repercussions of climate change. ”

The Regional Climate Change Dialogue will provide a specialized platform for participating countries to exchange experiences on their responses to climate change and build the momentum needed to advance global ambitions in preparation for the United Nations Climate Conference (COP26).

The dialogue will enable the United States of America and the participating countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Middle East and North Africa region to search for new areas of cooperation in the field of mitigating the impacts of climate change, adapting to it and focusing on the economic opportunities provided by climate action.

Topics for discussion and discussion include: Accelerating the adoption of renewable energy solutions, exploring the potential of new carbon-free energy sources, such as green and blue hydrogen, increasing the impact of climate change mitigation technologies, including carbon capture, use and storage, and reducing the carbon intensity of fuels. The hydrocarbon that the world will continue to depend on during the energy transition.

The dialogue will also cover ways of adapting to the effects of accelerating climate change of particular concern to the region, such as food and water security, mitigating desertification and preserving the environment.

Participants will seek to develop a common understanding of the priorities for climate action, and to develop a road map for cooperation in preparation for the United Nations Climate Conference.

The UAE is considered one of the leading countries in developing renewable energy solutions and sources and other technologies to reduce the effects of climate change. At the local level, the clean energy capacity in the UAE is close to reaching 14 gigawatts by 2030, including solar and nuclear energy. 100 GW in 2015, and 2.4 GW in 2020.

The UAE has also developed the Al Reyada facility, which is the first commercial industrial scale network in the region to capture, use and store carbon, and its efforts are continuing to accelerate the adoption of this technology, which is very important to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.

It should be noted that the UAE was the first Gulf country to sign and ratify the Paris Climate Agreement, and its nationally determined contribution represents the first goal announced in the region to reduce emissions in various aspects of the economy.

The UAE Cabinet approved the second nationally determined contributions last December, which include continuing to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to achieve a 23.5% reduction from business as usual by 2030. This goal is expected to translate into an absolute emission reduction of about 70 million tons.

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