UAE chief official says world leaders ‘must contribute at Cop27’

The success of the Cop27 summit in Egypt is crucial as the world’s public demands action on climate change, a senior UAE official said.

Cop28 Director General Majid Al Suwaidi said the UAE was in “listening mode” at this year’s Sharm el-Sheikh climate summit.

and National In the Egyptian resort town on Sunday, he said the UAE’s job is to understand where these countries stand and what they want to achieve.

“We’re really in listening mode,” he said. “As we are the host country of Cop28, it is important to have a positive outcome. As President, it is our job to steer this process to success in the UAE.”

United Nations annual climate summit, COP27has opened in Egypt and is expected to be attended by more than 120 world leaders key event in Sharm El Sheikh.

But two weeks of difficult negotiations are looming amid a challenging global situation.

When asked about some of his views on the bleak prospects for a major breakthrough for Cop27, Mr Al Suwaidi said that he has participated in a lot of Cops and all of them started out with pessimistic predictions.

“For me, it’s not a barometer of Cop27’s success,” he said. “Our Egyptian colleagues and friends are strong, they know what the problem is and know very well how to run the process. We follow them for a whole year.

“They’ve done an amazing job [and] I’m really confident they’ll have some positive results. “

If leaders make enough progress in the next two weeks, the UAE will be ready for next year’s summit, Mr Al Suwaidi said.

“We often see police as a single event, but there is a process that takes shape. If Egypt can win on some issues, I think that will be a real success and it will help us.”

Mr Al Suwaidi said Cop27 urgently needed progress, which he saw year after year.

“people [are] More interested in practical solutions,” he said. “The public and society are really calling for action. This process must be intensified and delivered. “

Asked about the difficulty of trying to make progress amid a grim geopolitical outlook and soaring inflation, he said many of the challenges were a result of climate instability.

“Look at the energy problems we face globally,” said Mr Al Suwadi.

“This is detrimental to [the] The pathways we build to address climate change.

“if [people] Struggling to have the right approach to adopting the new technologies and renewable energy technologies you need, which can be more expensive than traditional fossil fuels – a real problem. That’s why this process is important.

“But of all the challenges, one issue we all agree on is climate change. That bodes well for the process.”

Mr. Al Suwaidi said that hosting Cop28 next year was a very important moment for the UAE. He said the country has a good track record in protecting the environment.

“I think of anyone, I have to look forward to it the most. [It is] One of the most important events for our new president [Sheikh Mohamed’s] semester. “

Updated: 11/7/2022 10:04am