UAE and Arctic Circle organise open dialogue to drive climate action in Third Pole-Himalayan region

Sharm El Sheikh – Egypt – The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), in collaboration with the Arctic Circle, hosted an open dialogue on the Third Pole Process during the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm Shaikh held November 6-18, Egypt Sheikh.

Open Dialogue including His Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, His Excellency Ólafur Ra​​gnar Grímsson, Former President of Iceland and Chairman of the Arctic Circle, and His Excellency Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate of Iceland, and Chairman of the Arctic Council, 2019-2021 year. Other participants included representatives from the Arctic countries and the Third Pole-Himalayan region as well as various institutions and organizations from other countries.

In June 2022, MOCCAE and the Arctic Circle launched the Third Pole Process as a comprehensive effort to demonstrate an Arctic cooperation model to the Third Pole-Himalayan region to mitigate the risks of glacial melt and water insecurity exacerbated by climate change. Threat. The third pole region is a term that denotes the geographic proximity of the Himalayas, including India, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and several countries in Central Asia.

Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri said: “The UAE is at the forefront of the nation’s response to the climate crisis. To support efforts aimed at mitigating risks associated with melting glaciers, we have launched the Third Pole Process, which has created meaningful synergies, and facilitates the sharing of experiences to address the effects of shrinking glaciers. Held on the sidelines of Climate Action’s annual event, the conference highlights the impact of climate change on the Third Pole region and introduces a global audience to the upcoming Arctic Circle Abu Dhabi Forum .”

Melting glaciers can dramatically disrupt the water cycle, trigger more biodiversity loss, and hinder economic growth, she noted.

The Third Pole Process brings together governments, scientists and experts to increase regional awareness of the challenges of water resource reduction. It represents an active engagement with governments and institutions to strengthen scientific research and partnerships to inform policy development, to be guided by the experience of Arctic cooperation, and to facilitate the effective communication of scientific information with policymakers specializing in addressing climate change.

HE Ólafur Ra​​​​​gnar Grímsson said: “Attention is mainly on the Arctic and Antarctic; the Arctic and Antarctic. The escalation of glacier melt in the Himalayan-Third Pole countries could be the worst climate disaster in the coming decades. The water resources of all major rivers, as well as other Himalayan countries, can be traced back to the glaciers in the third pole region. The future of more than one billion people may be directly impacted by the melting of the third pole glaciers. Professor Tandong Yao, Asia’s foremost glaciologist At the current rate of climate change, more than half of the glaciers in the region are predicted to have disappeared by the middle of this century. The third pole process is designed to inspire cooperation. The time is indeed short.

The process was marked by a series of Arctic Circle conferences in Iceland and Arctic Circle forums in other countries. The Arctic Circle Abu Dhabi Forum will be held in January 2023 as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW). It also seeks to make an important contribution to the preparations for the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) to be held in the UAE in 2023.

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About the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) was established in February 2006, formerly the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources. In the context of the redefinition, the Ministry has a dual mandate. At the national level, it aims to strengthen the UAE’s efforts to protect the environment and promote food diversity in line with the country’s aspiration to become a key benchmark for sustainable development. At a global level, MOCCAE engages with international stakeholders to tackle climate change and presents the UAE’s pioneering achievements in this field on a global thought leadership platform.

For more details please contact us: Media@moccae.gov.ae

About the Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle is the largest international network of dialogue and cooperation about the Arctic and the future of the planet. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan. The Arctic Circle is an open democratic platform involving governments, organizations, companies, universities, think tanks, environmental associations, indigenous communities, concerned citizens and others.

For more details, please contact us: Media@ArcticCircle.org