A
high-level delegation from the United Arab Emirates has attended the September
Paris Ministerial Consultations, the second in a series of meetings being held
in an effort to find political consensus on key issues of contention in the
lead up to a landmark global climate agreement expected to be reached at the UN
climate conference, COP21, in Paris in December.
The
second ministerial consultation discussions focused on two important issues,
which representatives hope will be resolved ahead of COP 21: how the new
agreement can include a mechanism to help countries adapt to the physical
impacts of climate change, and mechanisms for providing support, through
finance, technology transfer and capacity building, to developing countries.
Manuel
Pulgar Vidal, Peruvian Minister of Environment and current COP President,
together with Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Minister and incoming COP
President, are hosting the series of ministerial consultations with important
players in the negotiating process. This second consultation was attended by
over 35 ministers, including those from the United States, United Kingdom,
China, Germany, Egypt and India.
The
UAE delegation was led by Dr. Thani Ahmad Al Zeyoudi, UAE Permanent
Representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency, IRENA, and
Director of Energy and Climate Change at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Dr.
Al Zeyoudi said, "The United Arab Emirates is committed to supporting
France, as incoming President of COP21, in its efforts to find effective and
fair solutions to the global challenge of climate change. Through our active
participation at these discussions, we are working to enhance cooperation among
participants and are gaining recognition as leaders in this field.
"The
United Arab Emirates is showing that climate solutions can be made effective
and competitive. By sharing and building on our experience, we are helping the
world deal with the major global challenge of climate change while creating
economic opportunities and building a more diversified economy for the
UAE."
The
UAE delegation held a number of bilateral meetings to discuss how the UAE can
cooperate with other countries in the run up to COP 21 and address climate
change. COP 21 is the 21st session of the Conference of Parties of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, and is considered the
most important in years.
Countries
have set a deadline of 2015 to agree a framework for international efforts to
combat climate change. All of the world’s 193 countries plan to send ministers,
with some planning to send heads of state.
The
COP 21 agreement will call on all nations to share their actions to limit
emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change, as well as diversify
their economies. It will also establish systems for reporting and assessing
progress and for providing finance to poorer countries to support their
efforts.
In
September, the UAE, together with Peru and France, will host a high-level
leaders breakfast on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in
New York, which will bring together ministers and leaders from the private and
non-government sectors to discuss how the outcomes from COP 21 can mobilise
investments in clean energy.
The
UAE has rapidly emerged in recent years as a leading investor in clean energy
technologies, one of the key strategies to mitigating climate change. This has
included investments in solar power such as the Shams 1 solar plant in Abu
Dhabi and the Mohamed bin Rashid Solar Park in Dubai, introduction of energy
efficiency standards, establishment of world-class research centres such as the
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, and the development of carbon
capture and storage technologies.
The
first of the ministerial discussions was held in July, and the French
government is expected to host further sessions before the COP21 meetings,
which will be held in Paris from 30th November to 11th December, 2015. –End-
Image
by: www.un.org
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