DUBAI, UAE – The UAE believes that innovation is key to tackling climate change, and it has designed breakthrough solutions that can rapidly accelerate climate action across the world, said Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, the country’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment.
“The COP28 UAE is focused on delivering concrete and pragmatic solutions to ensure 1.5°C remains alive and within reach. This will require a global effort to slash emissions by 43 percent globally by 2030,” added Almheiri, who was heading the UAE delegation to the 13th session of the IRENA, which was held in Abu Dhabi under the theme “World Energy Transition – The Global Stocktake”.
The UAE minister attended the opening session of the Assembly, which emphasized the necessity of accelerating the pace towards renewable energy and doubling its share to two-thirds of the world’s energy by 2030, and to 100 percent by 2050.
During the global gathering, the minister joined Francesco La Camera, Director-General IRENA, H.E. Shri Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of Power, New and Renewables, India, at the Assembly press conference which provided the annual ‘State-of-Energy Transition’ globally and also combined two main narratives: Building a bridge from COP27 to COP28 and contributing to a global stocktake on the world’s energy transition.
Almheiri highlighted the country’s efforts in sustainable development, climate action, and food security, and explored new synergies in this space with other countries in the run-up to the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) that the UAE will host in late 2023.
She said: “At COP28, we aim to transform and urgently accelerate climate action to meet the commitments the world has made. To catalyze this progress, we must ensure better, more efficient, and more equitable access to climate finance. Governments, international financial institutions, and private finance will all play a key role.”
“As IRENA host country and member, and COP28 President, the UAE supports the renewables-centered energy transition pathway, stipulated in IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook, and considers it an important contributing element to the proceedings of the COP28. The COP28 UAE Presidency will further prioritize the needs of the world’s most vulnerable communities, including working with IRENA, to advance loss and damage funding arrangements,” the minister said.
On the sidelines of the 13th IRENA Assembly session, Almheiri held several bilateral meetings with high-level officials.
She started off highlighting UAE’s track record in reducing emissions, its global leadership in the clean and renewable energy sector, as well as mobilize efforts to transform climate action into opportunities for economic development and diversification with Damilola Ogunbiyi, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General and CEO for Sustainable Energy for All, and Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator.
The minister discussed the strategic objective of the UAE to unite global efforts to address climate change through the promotion of renewable energy and ways to strengthen bilateral relations and expand areas of cooperation and the UAE’s preparations to host COP28 with Dr Irene Valez, Colombia Minister of Energy, and Stefan Wenzel, State Secretary – Germany.
She also spoke to Teresa Ribera, Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, about the two countries’ shared commitment to environmental protection, and explored opportunities to step up bilateral cooperation with Rt Hon Grant Shapps, United Kingdom Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and the UAE’s preparations to host COP28.
During her meetings with Philippe Henry, Belgium Vice President of Wallonia Government and Minister of Climate, Energy, Mobility, and Infrastructure, the Minister discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and expand areas of cooperation in the environment and renewable energy sectors.
The 13th session of the IRENA Assembly took in-person from 14 to 15 January 2023 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, under the theme ‘World Energy Transition – The Global Stocktake’. The IRENA Assembly brought together Heads of State/Government, Ministers and energy decision-makers among its Membership and States-in-Accession, as well as multilateral organisations, global stakeholders and private actors to take stock of operational plans and policies and highlight the concerted action undertaken to implement the energy transition across countries, regions, and the world.