Day1
At the COP28 Opening Ceremony today, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the President of COP27, Mr Sameh Shoukry, officially passed the baton to the current COP President, H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber. COP28. In their opening remarks, all speakers (which included Dr Jaber and Mr Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, among others) stressed on a three-pronged mantra – unite, act, deliver.
Dr Jaber also initiated proceedings for all COP subsidiaries including the eighteenth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 18), and the fifth sessions of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Partes to the Paris Agreement (CMA 5). During the next two weeks, the COP Presidency will actively monitor all developments and reconvene on the Closing Day to announce the future course of action.
Dr. Sultan Al Jaber
COP28 President-Designate,
UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change, and
Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology
Key announcements (30th November 2023)
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between India and the UAE to facilitate and enhance bilateral cooperation on climate action. India’s Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Mr Bhupender Yadav met H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Climate Envoy and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, to collaborate on delivering ambitions of the Global Stocktake. Mr Yadav also inaugurated India’ Pavilion at COP28 with its theme as “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam”.
Envisioned at COP27, the “loss and damage” fund was formally launched at the first day of COP28. Dr Jaber announced that the UAE is committing USD 100 mn to the fund. Germany also pledged an equivalent amount. Other commitments announced today include: USD 75 million from the UK, USD 17.5 million from the US, and USD 10 million from Japan.
Germany and Canada, the two nations looking after the USD 100 bn annual commitment (announced at COP21 in Paris), provided an update on the situation. Based on the preliminary results for 2022, from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), nations could be remarkably close to hitting the annual mark (after falling short by ~USD 10 mn in the preceding year).