UAE, UN explore opportunities for joint cooperation in climate action

A senior UAE delegation met Selwin Charles Hart, the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action and Assistant Secretary-General for the Climate Action Team, on the sidelines of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), to discuss opportunities for joint cooperation and partnership in best practices on government experience exchange, global climate action and sustainable development as the UAE is gearing up to host COP28.

Led by Abdulla Nasser Lootah, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Knowledge Exchange, and Vice-Chairman of the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Majid Al Suwaidi, Director-General and Special Representative of COP28, the UAE delegation presented the country’s development success story and national efforts to achieve a comprehensive, sustainable socio-economic development and accelerate the delivery of the SDGs.

The delegation highlighted the UAE’s strategic initiatives in various aspects of development including government work, capacity building and exchange of expertise and visions.

The meeting also included a presentation by Lootah on the UAE’s Government Experience Exchange Programme (GEEP), which serves as a catalyst for developing global partnerships. GEEP is designed to foster collaboration between the UAE government and other member countries by facilitating the exchange of best practices and experiences in key areas. To date, GEEP has successfully enriched the lives of one billion people in over 30 countries, encompassing areas such as Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

The UAE officials explained to the UN official achievements made so far during the Year of Sustainability, the UAE Net Zero strategic initiative to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and the key themEs and agenda of COP28.

The two sides also discussed opportunities to enhance cooperation between the UAE and the United Nations in current and future international initiatives that maximise the positive and sustainable impact of climate action around the world, especially in countries, societies and economies most affected by the repercussions of climate change.

Since its establishment in 2012, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) has served as the primary platform for the UN to discuss progress on the SDGs and has played a central role in monitoring and reviewing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This year, the forum is held under the theme of “Accelerating the Recovery from the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and the Full Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels”.

Few days earlier, a senior UAE delegation led an international discussion underlining the importance of incorporating renewable energy into peacekeeping operations around the world.

The Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations in New York hosted the meeting on the key role of the UN’s Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) in peacekeeping operations.

The meeting was one of several events held by the UAE government during the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (UN HLPF) on Sustainable Development, which is organised by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and takes place from 10th-19th July at its headquarters in New York.

Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN in New York, delivered an opening speech in which he highlighted the importance of ensuring energy security to aid stability and development around the world. He also emphasised the UAE’s commitment to partnering with the international community to ensure energy security and foster the energy transition to fulfill the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Dr Nawal Al Hosany, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), also spoke during the meeting; alongside Mona Juul, Permanent Representative of Norway to the UN; David Mozersky from the Powering Peace Initiative; Wilfried Biya, Permanent Observer of IRENA to the United Nations, Chief; Joanna Harvey, Chief of the Enviromental Section of the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Operational Support; and Lisa Buttenheim, Assistant Secretary-General for Support Operations at the Department of Operational Support.

Participants described the incorporation of renewable energy in UN peacekeeping operations as a “major opportunity”. The energy transition will help promote development, peace, and security goals, while advancing global climate action, the meeting heard.

Attendees also commended the UAE for introducing a Relief, Recovery, and Peace Day during COP28, which will be hosted by the UAE at Expo City Dubai from 30th November to 12th December 2023. They stressed that the move adds a deeper human dimension to global climate action.

Dr Al Hosany underscored the significance of the Energy Compact on Renewable Energy for UN Peacekeeping, which was formally signed at the 13th IRENA General Assembly in January earlier this year, just two years after the concept was announced by the UN Department of Peace Operations (UNDPO), UN Department of Operational Support (UNDOS), IRENA, Denmark, Norway, and the UAE.