DUBAI: The Emirati oil chief leading this year's UN climate talks said Tuesday he will introduce an "inclusive" plan for the meeting in Dubai, amid criticism by activists over his appointment. Rights group Amnesty International has said Sultan Al-Jaber is "unfit" for the COP28 presidency, being the CEO of state-owned oil giant ADNOC, while Western officials have defended his role in the crucial talks set for November and December.
Al-Jaber told the annual World Government Summit event in Dubai that as "president, I will lay out a roadmap for COP28 that is inclusive, results-oriented and... very far from business as usual". The 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the UNFCCC will convene from 30 November to 12 December 2023. It will take place in the United Arab Emirates.
"We will capitalize on our experience and our network of partners to engage with governments, civil society, youth, the financial community, industry and technology companies," added Al-Jaber, the oil-rich United Arab Emirates' special envoy for climate change. In a statement on Monday, Amnesty's climate director Marta Schaaf said Al-Jaber's role at ADNOC made him "unfit to lead COP28".
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"Sultan Al-Jaber cannot be an honest broker for climate talks when the company he leads is planning to cause more climate damage," she said. Al-Jaber, 49, is also the UAE's minister of industry and advanced technology and head of a leading renewable energy firm. A veteran of COP meetings, he is the first CEO to lead the summit. His appointment last month was welcomed by US climate envoy John Kerry and French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, who urged the world to get behind Al-Jaber and focus on "concrete decisions".
The last round of UN climate talks, hosted by Egypt, concluded in November with a deal to create a "loss and damage" fund to cover the costs that developing countries face from climate-linked natural disasters and impacts like rising sea levels. But observers were left disappointed that little progress had been made on reducing planet-heating emissions from fossil fuels.
The UAE, one of the world's biggest oil producers, argues that crude remains indispensable to the global economy and is needed to finance the energy transition. The Gulf state is pushing the merits of carbon capture-removing carbon dioxide as fuel is burned, or from the air. It is also spending billions on a green transition, aiming to cover half of its energy needs with renewables by 2050.
The World Government Summit 2023 is taking place in Dubai from Feb 13 to Feb 15 with over 10,000 government officials, presidents, ministers, leaders, and experts attending under the main theme "Shaping Future Governments".
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Discussions at the summit cover topics such as global policies, the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, the impact of climate change, the evolution of employment, the progression of society, and urban planning. The agenda includes more than 300 sessions, where more than 200 speakers from global leaders, decision-makers, and International, Regional, and Intergovernmental Organizations will take part in talks discussing strategies and key points that will shape the future of societies and governments.
Presidents of Turkey and Egypt were set to deliver keynote addresses. Also, the founder of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, and the director-general of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attend the vent as key speakers.
Masrour Barzani, Iraq's Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia, IIham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, Macky Sall, President of Senegal, Mario Abdo Benitez, President of Paraguay, and other leaders will also take part in the summit.
The World Government Summit also features a lineup of notable public figures, including the celebrated futurist Will.i.am and the CEO of Twitter, Elon Musk. The summit underlines the importance of international cooperation in addressing global challenges. It aims to provide a space for dialogue and collaboration between leaders, with the goal of finding solutions to some of the world's most pressing issues. - Agencies