UAE president announces COP28 summit to be hosted at Dubai Expo City

The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) will be hosted at Dubai Expo City. The conference will be held under the directive of president His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, The Dubai venue brought the world together in the UAE for six months for Expo 2020 and COP28 will share similar objectives. COP28 will focus on key pillars, including the implementation of climate commitments and pledges, inclusion, working together to take concrete action and seizing opportunities to ensure a sustainable future for present and future generations. The conference is expected to see over 45,000 participants daily, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts and representatives of civil society organisations. The new city, announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president, prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, will be a global hub for innovation and creativity is designed to represent a model for the city of the future. The UAE has a track record in climate action and multilateral co-operation. It is the permanent host country for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the first country in the region to sign and ratify the Paris Agreement, and the first in the region to commit to an economy-wide reduction in emissions. Over the past 15 years, the UAE has emerged as a regional leader in renewable and clean energy investments. It invested US$50bn in clean energy and has recently announced its plans to invest more than US$50bn over the next decade in additional projects, including hydrogen and ammonia. The UAE operates three of the world’s largest and lowest-cost solar plants and has invested in renewable energy projects in 70 countries. These investments include more than US$1bn in grants and loans to 27 island countries that are resource-stressed and particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. COP28 represents a moment of vital significance as the world seeks to maximise progress since the Paris Agreement. The conference will define future Nationally Determined Contributions. Egypt hosts COP27 in November 2022. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was launched in 1992 in Brazil. The conferences are formal meetings, held annually since 1995, which aim to find solutions to reduce the impacts of climate change. At COP26 in Glasgow, the UAE was chosen to host COP28 in November 2023.