Dr Sultan Al Jaber calls for concrete climate action as he engages in key UN General Assembly events

New York: The COP28 UAE President-Designate attended the important Global Stocktake Ministerial, International Energy Agency Dialogue and Youth Ambition Majlis on Day 4 of UN General Assembly as he continued to advance his Presidency’s Action Agenda and engaged with world leaders to drive progress at COP28 in the UAE.

At the GST Ministerial, Dr Al Jaber delivered a call to action, urging ministers to address the pressing issues that will shape a transformative outcome at COP28.

Among the attendees were Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, SB Chairs; Shamma Al Mazrui, COP28’s Youth Climate Champion, and several other important officials.

Transformative outcome

Speaking at the event, Dr Al Jaber reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the negotiating process leading to the first-ever Global Stocktake in November and expressed confidence that Parties would reach a transformative outcome that addresses existing gaps and outlines necessary actions to leave no one behind.

The COP28 President called for alignment around COP28’s key messages to ensure successful outcomes at the conference in the UAE starting on 30 November.

Four-step-plan

The COP28 Action Agenda outlines a comprehensive four-step plan to tackle the climate crisis. It includes fast tracking a just and orderly energy transition; fixing climate finance; focusing on people, lives and livelihoods, and underpinning everything with full inclusivity.

Later in the afternoon, the COP28 President-Designate attended the Youth Ambition Majlis, reflecting the commitment of COP28 leadership to engage with youth. This important gathering included H.E. Al Mazrui, delegates from the International Youth Climate Delegate Program, and YOUNGO Representatives.

Al Mazrui also addressed the Majlis and spoke about how the climate agenda of the new UN Youth Office will empower youth climate action and connect with the COP process.

Following this, Dr Al Jaber participated in the important 3rd High-Level Dialogue organised by the IEA, which had the presence of Fatih Birol, its Executive Director.

Pragmatic energy roadmap

Dr. Al Jaber emphasised the need for a pragmatic energy roadmap, including fossil fuel-free systems and decarbonisation. He urged a substantial financial commitment, highlighting the long-awaited $100-billion promise to the Global South.

In the evening, he also participated in a round-table discussion with Ministerial Pairings for COP28. The attendees included UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell; Chair of the SBI, Ambassador Nabeel Munir; Chair of the SBSTA, Harry Vreuls; and Ministerial Pairs: Barbara Creecy of South Africa and Dan Jørgensen of Denmark (Global Stocktake); Grace Fu of Singapore and Espen Barth-Eide of Norway (Mitigation); Maisa Rojas of Chile and Jennifer McAllister of Australia (Adaptation); and Yasmine Fouad of Egypt and Steven Guilbeault of Canada (Means of Implementation).

He also had bilateral meetings with Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice President of the European Union, Han Hwa-jin, South Korea’s Minister of Environment and Amos J. Hochstein, US Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure & Energy Security.

Biodiversity Summit

During the day, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion Razan Al Mubarak also delivered a keynote address at the World Biodiversity Summit and urged establishing science-based targets for both nature and climate while boosting investments in nature-based solutions.

Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi, COP28 Director-General, participated in a Regional Ministerial Roundtable on Migration, Environment, and Climate Change in the Asia Pacific, and emphasised COP28’s core focus on people’s well-being and shared insights at the Foreign Policy Energy Forum about COP28’s vision, action plan, and progress.