Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE’s COP28 President-Designate, has emphasised the importance of transformational, game-changing alliances and solidarity to drive climate action for all at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2023.
Dr. Al Jaber acknowledged the UAE’s legacy of problem-solving leadership. “The UAE has always risen to problems by anticipating the future,” he remarked, “and the transformational progress we’ve made in barely 50 years is based on the notion and practise of genuine partnership.”
With a focus on looking to the future and investing in innovation, Dr. Al Jaber noted that “before anyone in this region saw a future in renewables, the UAE saw them as the future. We’ve been blessed with a leadership that invested the wealth of the nation in the health of the nation, balanced economic growth with environmental responsibility, and put climate action at the heart of our development strategy”.
“When people questioned our ability to deliver on the promise of Masdar, we focused and stayed the course. Before others decarbonised, we embedded sustainability into our hydrocarbon operations,” he added.
Recognising the progress the world has made, Al Jaber said: “We’re playing catch-up in our efforts to keep 1.5 alive. We need to reverse emissions while moving economies forward, enable an inclusive and just transition that leaves no-one behind.”
“That’s why we are determined to make COP28 a COP for all, a COP of action. A COP where the Global North and Global South really listen to each other,” continued Al Jaber. “A COP where we move from goals to getting it done across mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage. And a COP where we deliver a new deal on climate finance,” he added.
“The road to net zero represents the biggest market transformation with the greatest economic promise since the First Industrial Revolution. A low carbon pathway to a high growth destination with inclusive progress for all,” he continued.
Dr. Al Jaber cited the recipients of this year’s Zayed Sustainability Honor as sources of inspiration, stressing that pushing inclusive progress lies at the heart of the prize. “For 15 years, The Prize has been encouraging good change-makers. Their efforts are transforming lives from Asia to Africa, and from the Caribbean to the Pacific. So let us take inspiration and hope from them,” he urged.
In his closing remarks, Al Jaber said, “As we prepare to host COP 28 in November, I ask myself: can the world come together to meet the urgency of this moment? Can the world cut emissions in half in the next seven years? My answer is Yes.
“I believe in the power of human progress. I believe in the power of our leadership’s vision for progress through partnership. I believe that together, we can turn the greatest challenge we face into the opportunity of our lifetimes.”
Al Jaber concluded, “Let me extend an open invitation. Cooperate, collaborate, share your ideas and let’s put the principle of partnership into practice. Let’s make practical real progress, because next never stops. Now is the time to unite. Now is the time to act. This is the time to turn rhetoric into tangible results.”
ADSW is a worldwide project launched by the UAE in 2008 to bring together heads of state, policymakers, industry leaders, and other key stakeholders to discuss climate action and innovation. Thousands of worldwide delegates attended the ADSW opening ceremony in the UAE, as well as the Zayed Sustainability Prize Awards Ceremony, which recognises sustainability achievements.
