This week, the United Arab Emirates will reaffirm its support for renewable energy and enhanced voluntary action to fight climate change at the United Nations Climate Summit 2014, the highest-level global meeting on the topic in five years.
Led by H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, U.A.E. Foreign Minister, the U.A.E. will highlight its progressive approach that mixes voluntary domestic reform and international aid and investment.
Over 100 heads of state and government leaders are expected to attend the summit on 23rd September, in New York, and announce new measures and partnerships to combat the global challenge of climate change.
Organised by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the summit aims to spur global action on greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation, in the lead up to the Paris United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations in December 2015, where a global climate change agreement is expected to be finalised.
"The U.A.E. has actively engaged with the international community in efforts to minimise the impacts of climate change," said Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, U.A.E. Minister of State. "We are a hydrocarbon exporter and a developing country, but we are making some of the world's most significant investments in renewable energy." The summit follows on from the Abu Dhabi Ascent that was convened in May by the Secretary-General to prepare the international community for the New York meeting, and to formulate global initiatives in nine high-impact areas: energy efficiency, land use and forests, finance, renewable energy, agriculture, resilience, transportation, short-lived climate pollutants and cities.
"The Abu Dhabi Ascent underscored the U.A.E.'s leadership in climate-related discussions and mobilised contributions to the UN climate change debate," said Dr. Al Jaber. "We worked closely with the Secretary-General to build momentum towards the Summit and to ensure tangible commitments are made by governments and the private sector." The U.A.E. is dedicated to addressing the issue of climate change and has taken significant steps to tackle its adverse impacts. Some of these will be highlighted at the UN Climate Summit, including the development and deployment of clean energy and energy efficiency projects at home and abroad.