Paris: As a developing but rich country, the UAE will continue to lend its assistance to nations that require renewable energy technologies, Dr Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change said in Paris on Saturday.
Speaking to Gulf News on the sixth day of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21), Al Jaber said: “The UAE is focusing its efforts on making sure than a comprehensive, holistic, flexible and progressive agreement is reached — one that caters for and includes everyone. It has to be customised, in some instances, for some countries to fit their geopolitics and demographics. A one-size-fits-all agreement will not work.”
Additionally, the UAE has often taken a role in assisting others and helping those in need, which ties in with what some developing countries are calling for from their developed counterparts in terms of renewable energy.
“The UAE’s founding father, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, has placed supporting others at the heart of the UAE’s culture and this methodology is now central to how we conduct our business worldwide. He also established the habit of building bridges between countries and cultures to help each other and ensure that we provide necessary assistance when needed,” Al Jaber said.
This ideology has transcended mere financial relief and has made its way into the realm of technology.
“So when it comes down to mitigating climate change, the UAE has been capitalising on its foreign aid programmes and we are doing so by providing Africa, Mauritania and the Pacific Islands with the technologies they need to have access to energy,” the official added.
Previous COPs have never witnessed such international collaboration as the present event has with the attendance and cooperation of over 190 nations and the submission of voluntary Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) by some 180 nations.
“We do not in any way refer to previous COPs as ‘non progressive’. We find that every single COP has added something for us to get to where we are. The UAE wants to be seen as a true, real, value-added partner who contributes through knowledge and experience,” Al Jaber said.
