The United Arab Emirates has appointed a leadership team for the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), which will be hosted in Dubai from November 30th to December 12th, 2023. The appointments, made under the directive of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, include Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber as President-Designate for COP28 UAE, Shamma Al Mazrui as COP28 UAE Youth Climate Champion, and Razan Al Mubarak as COP28 UAE UN Climate Change High-Level Champion.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is the UAE’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, Shamma Al Mazrui is the UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs, and Razan Al Mubarak is the President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The appointments come at a crucial moment as the world faces increasing impacts of climate change and challenges to energy, food and water security, and reversing biodiversity loss. The UAE is committed to multilateral cooperation and an inclusive process that brings together emerging economies with developed nations, civil society, and business to achieve the solutions and the pace of change required.
The UAE is also recognized for its regional leadership in climate action and its role as a global advocate for clean energy. The country is home to three of the largest and lowest-cost solar projects in the world and has invested more than $50 billion in renewable energy projects across 70 countries, with plans to invest a minimum of $50 billion over the next decade.
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.
The National Higher Committee, which was formed on June 23rd, 2022 to oversee preparations for the conference, is chaired by H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and includes senior officials from several authorities.
