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1  What is COP?

The Conference of the Parties (COP) serves as the highest authority responsible for decision-making within the Convention. All nations that are signatories to the Convention participate in the COP, where they assess the Convention’s execution, as well as any additional legal instruments sanctioned by the COP. During these sessions, essential determinations are made to advance the Convention’s efficient implementation, which encompasses the establishment of institutional and administrative procedures.

The key directive of the COP is to review emission inventories and submitted plans and strategies submitted by the parties. The COP meets every year unless it is decided not to. The first COP meeting was held in Berlin, Germany, in March 1995.

The COP Presidency typically rotates among the 5 recognized UN regions (Africa, Asia, Latin American and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and others). The last 5 COP sessions were held between Europe and Africa as listed below:

• COP 27 November 2022: Sharm L Sheikh, Egypt
• COP 26 November 2021: Glasgow, UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• COP 25 December 2019: Madrid, Spain
• COP 24 December 2018: Katowice, Poland
• COP 23 November 2017: Bonn, Germany

2  The Road to COP 28

The UAE will host the 28^th  Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC which also marks the eighteenth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP18), and the fifth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 5).

2.1   Selection criteria

The Conference of the Parties (COP) typically occurs through a bidding and selection process within the UNFCCC. The decision for the host country is typically taken based on the following factors:

• • Volunteering bidders: Nations that wish to bid to host the COP can submit their requests to the UNFCCC Secretariat. These submissions typically include the country’s commitment to climate change and their capacity to host a successful event.
  • Logistical and Infrastructure Capacity: The host country must have the infrastructure, facilities and resources to host thousands of delegates, government officials, and stakeholders attending the conference.
  • Geographic location: The UNFCCC strive to choose the geographic location of the conference to allow for adequate representation and inclusivity.
  • Climate relevance: Countries that are especially vulnerable by climate change and/or leading efforts to combat it.
  • Political Will: The host country must have a strong commitment to addressing climate change which is manifested through national climate strategies and action plans.
  • Diplomatic Relationships: The host country must have diplomatic relationships with other countries to ease international cooperation during the conference.

2.2  Why the UAE?

The vulnerability of the UAE to climate change is one of the key drivers for the UAE leadership to place climate action at the top of their agenda. Rising temperatures, dust storms, sea level rise and drought are just some of the impacts of climate change the residents of the UAE will face if no immediate action is taken.

The UAE has initiated its climate action decades ago when they ratified the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol in 1989, and their joining of the Paris Agreement in 2016.

The UAE was the first Middle Eastern government that has made the commitment to reduce carbon emissions to net zero. They were also the first country in the region to sign the Paris Agreement. They have made noticeable financial commitments to fund clean energy projects globally and in November 2022 they have agreed to partner with the United States to invest another $100 billion in clean energy.

On the 1^st of August 2023, it was announced that the COP28 Presidency and the UNFCCC have officially signed the Host Country Agreement. The agreement was signed by Dr. Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President-Designate, and UFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, during a meeting in Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Al Jaber stated that: “The COP28 plan of action is centered on four key pillars: fast-tracking the energy transition; fixing climate finance; focusing on people, lives and livelihoods; and underpinning everything with full inclusivity. The COP28 Presidency believes inclusivity is a critical enabler to achieving transformative progress across the climate agenda. “Only by rising above our differences and working together can we raise our shared ambition and deliver progress to keep 1.5°C within reach”.

2.3  Why is COP 28 important?

Similar to every yearly conference, COP28 will bring together all participating nations to track progress on climate action goals and developing a roadmap to improve and accelerate climate action. This year, in particular, marks the conclusion of the first Global Stocktake (GST), the main mechanism through which progress under the Paris Agreement is assessed Other matters on the agenda include the loss and damage fund (established at COP27), the framework for the Paris Agreement’s global goal on adaptation (GGA), the energy transition, food systems transformation and negotiation on climate finance (more information below).

2.3.1  Global Stocktake

The Global Stocktake (GST) serves to assess the current global progress towards achieving the goals and purpose of the Paris Agreement, evaluate the adequacy of countries’ individual efforts in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, identify areas where additional efforts are needed, and consider new scientific findings and technological advancements related to climate change.

The GST typically involves a comprehensive and inclusive review of climate action and progress and conducted in a participatory manner with input from all relevant stakeholders including governments, experts, and the civil society.

The GST results in a report that summarizes the findings and recommendations and guide countries in enhancing their climate action. This is a critical component of the Paris Agreement’s framework as countries regularly assess their collective efforts and progress and take necessary steps to improve

on their quest for combatting climate change. It promotes accountability, transparency and global cooperation.

The GST consists of three key components:

• The first phase consists of gathering and analyzing information on climate change and climate action from governments, international organizations, and other relevant stakeholders.
• The second phase collates all progress made in implementing the Paris Agreement and brought forward opportunities for strengthening action, support, and international cooperation on climate change.
• The third component will conclude at COP28 where governments discuss and consider the findings of the GST. These will occur through a series of high-level events that will ultimately generate key political messages around commitments and recommendations driving ambitious climate actions.

On the 8^th of September 2023, a synthesis report containing key messages and recommendations from the second phase was released. It shows how the Paris Agreement has anchored climate action globally and that significant progress has been made since the UNFCCC was formed three decades ago. It also makes clear indication that much more needs to be done and details how to bring implementation on track.

2.3.2  Loss and Damage Fund (COP27)

A key outcome of the UNFCCC’s 27^th COP meeting last year in Egypt was an agreement to establish a new loss and damage fund to assist ‘developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change’. The Loss and Damage Fund was a critical success factor of the COP27 meeting.

This fund is so important because historically G20 countries have emitted the majority of greenhouse gases emissions; however, developing countries are the most impacted by climate change and as a result have to significantly invest in climate change adaptation. For instance, G20 countries represent more than 75% of global greenhouse emissions, while Pakistan, for example, emitting less than 1% of global emissions, has seen more than US$ 30 billion in damages from severe flooding (UNEP, 2022).

The UNEP’s 2022 Adaptation Gap Report shows that international adaptation finance flowing to developing countries are five to ten times below estimated needs; therefore, this fund can further expand and broaden the donor base (UNEP, 2022).

Some of the key aspects that need to be addressed include the eligibility of countries to access this fund, sourcing the funds and the scope spectrum of the fund. These issues are addressed by a transitional committee consisting of representatives from developed and developing countries and they have been tasked with producing recommendations for governments ahead of COP28.

2.3.3  The Global Goal on Adaptation

Governments at COP28 are due to adopt a framework for achieving the Paris Agreement’s Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). The GGA aims to enhance countries’ adaptive capacity, reduce vulnerability to climate change, and strengthen their resilience to climate change impacts. It is hoped that the new framework will define the goal of the GGA and offer ways to measure progress against it. This is important because it recognizes that climate change impacts are already occurring and will continue and therefore adaptation measures and increasing resilience are essential.

The global goal on adaptation also encourages global communication on countries’ adaptation efforts through their National Adaptation Plans (NAP) allowing for transparency and information sharing, ultimately emphasizing the importance of research and collaboration to enhance global adaptation efforts.

2.3.4  Food Systems Transformation

Food systems contribute to one third of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and therefore another topic of concern is food systems and agriculture. The United Nations Food Systems Summit that occurred in 2021 highlighted the interconnected issues of hunger, malnutrition and climate change and the importance of transforming food systems to be more sustainable, resilient and equitable.

In July 2023, the COP28 Food Systems and Agriculture Agenda was launched by the COP28 presidency which requires countries to align on national food systems and agricultural policies with nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).

The call to private and public sector stakeholders to commit to food systems funding and technology is at the forefront, especially that the GST synthesis report highlights the need to address the demand-supply dynamic, land use change and deforestation (Chatham House, 2023).

Of the important efforts made this year in this regard is the new strategic partnership between the COP28 Presidency and the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub. The partnership was announced in September this year with the main aim to harness the power of food systems transformation for climate action (UNfoodsystemshub, 2023). A pivotal element of this strategic alliance is to ensure that Heads of State and government officials participating in COP28 pledge to execute these measures by simplifying the signing of the inaugural Leaders’ Declaration on Food Systems, Agriculture, and Climate Action. This declaration will stand as a historic commitment, solidifying worldwide aspirations and firmly embedding food systems as a prominent focus within the climate agenda and the COP proceedings for the foreseeable future.

2.3.5  Climate Finance

As with all previous COPs, climate finance will be one of the most topics at the COP28 this year. Developed countries previously pledged to commit to $100 Billion annually from 2020 onwards and this target has never been shown to have been met. It is crucial that progress on climate finance is made in Dubai this year to lay the foundation for next year’s COP as the deadline for reaching an agreement on this issue is 2024.

The discussion points will include assessing progress on meeting climate finance commitments, mobilizing additional financial resources for climate action, ensuing transparency and accountability and addressing the needs of developing countries that are most affected by climate change.

3  COP28 in Dubai

3.1  COP28 Presidency

The UAE was the first country in the region to commit to an economy-wide reduction in emissions by 2030 with the 2015 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the recently launched National Net Zero by 2050 Pathway in November 2022.

The COP28 Leadership is comprised of:

• Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, President-Designate for COP28 UAE: Dr. Al Jaber is the first CEO to ever serve as COP President bringing with him decades of business and economic knowledge in the energy sector. Dr. Al Jaber plays a crucial role in the country’s clean energy path, as the founding CEO and chairman of Masdar and an active outcomes-focused participant at over 11 COPs including the historic Paris COP21 in 2015. He has also spearheaded a $15 billion decarbonization strategy and new low-carbon solutions business.
• E Shamma Al Mazrui, UAE Youth Climate Champion: H.E Al Mazrui is the minister of community development, is the first ever Youth Climate Champion with a ministerial role. She is the Vice Chair of the Arab Youth Center, the Secretary General of the Education and Human Resources Council, Chairperson for Special Olympics UAE and the President of the National Center for Education Quality. She will be responsible for engaging with youth globally leading up and during COP28.

• E Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion: H.E Al Mubarak is the president of the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Managing Director of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Managing Director of Emirates Nature-WWF. She will be responsible to mobilize the private sector and civil society to address the climate and nature crises together. This role will consist of engaging state and non-state actors including government, indigenous people, civil society, and private sector partners.

3.2  Thematic Program

The COP28 Presidency has published preliminary information on their official website for the first set of events planned across the 2-weeks program. Following guidance from several stakeholders and the open consultation process that occurred earlier this year, the program has been put together with supplementary events as mandated by the UNFCCC process.

The Thematic Program has been developed with the aim of bringing together multiple stakeholders from all levels of government, youth, business, civil society, indigenous people, and others to put forward solutions around limiting global warming to 1.5C, building resilience, and mobilizing finance at scale.

Figure 1 COP28 Thematic Program (COP28, 2023)

3.3  COP28 Venue

It was decided that the venue for the COP28 conference this year will be in Dubai Expo City, expected to host more 70,000 participants, including government officials, heads of state, thought industry leaders, and representatives from civil society organizations.

The venue, whose design and size serve as an inclusive platform for dialogue, dedicates space to the accredited parties and observer delegates site (Blue Zone) and the civil society (Green Zone).

The Blue Zone will be a UNFCCC managed site for accredited parties and observer delegates. It will host all formal negotiations, and panel discussions as well as cultural events over the 2 weeks duration of the conference.  It will be attended by:

• 198 Parties (negotiators from 197 states and the EU)
• Observers (NGOs, IGOs, UN Agencies)
• Media
• World Leaders

The Green Zone, overseen and organized by the COP28 UAE Presidency, serves as a forum for unaccredited participants, such as youth organizations, civil society, non-governmental organizations, the business sector, and indigenous communities, allowing them to amplify their perspectives, fostering discussions, and raising awareness regarding climate action.

4  Climate Action Timeline in the UAE

4.1  Key Highlights

As mentioned earlier in this article, the UAE has laid the foundation for their climate action strategies decades ago. The below is a timeline we have created to showcase the highlights of the UAE’s key milestones on climate action.

Figure 2: Climate action timeline for the UAE (Terranexus, 2023)

4.2  UAE Net Zero 2050

The UAE has set a strategic goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, making it the first nation in the GCC and the Middle East to do so. This goal aligns with the Paris Agreement which drives signatory governments to devise long term strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise of global temperature to 1.5 ^oC compared to pre-industrial levels.

The UAE has set the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) to lead and coordinate all efforts relating to the UAE Net Zero Strategy. It has the mandate to ensure coordination between all different stakeholders in key sectors such as energy, economy, industry, infrastructure, waste and the environment and update plans and policies around different projects to ultimately achieve the net zero goal by 2050.

4.3  UAE Climate Commitments & Progress to date

The UAE has made prominent commitments around renewable energy, one of the main pillars of the UAE’s net zero strategy. It has invested over 40 billion USD in the sector so far and has facilitated more than 400 million USD in aid and soft loans for clear energy projects.

During COP27 in November 2022, the UAE presented its National Net Zero by 2050 pathway; however, as of July 2023 the UAE is yet to submit its long-term strategy to the UNFCCC but plans to do so ahead of the COP28 according to its latest NDC. As per the Climate Action Tracker, the UAE has showcased good practice for ten key elements of national net zero target setting in terms of scope, architecture, and transparency; however, the comprehensiveness of the net zero target design has been rated as poor (Climateactiontracker, 2023).

Many policies, plans and strategies have been revealed since the UAE unveiled its National Net Zero pathway at COP27. One can see tangible commitment from the country’s leadership, national authorities, governmental, and semi-governmental institutions as well as the private sector.

Some of these initiatives are listed below:

• The UAE plans to invest $54B in renewable energy over the next 7 years in line with the newly updated and approved National Energy Strategy 2050. The new Energy Strategy promotes the production of renewable and nuclear energies, promotes energy efficiency, drive R&D and innovation by energy technologies and facilitate investments in the country’s renewable and clean energy sector.
• In 2017, the National Climate Change Plan 2017-2050 was released in which a framework was devised for managing greenhouse gas emissions, climate change adaptation, and economic diversification.
• The UAE has supported many clean energy projects around the world, investing in renewable energy projects.
• In 2021, the first industrial-scale green hydrogen project in the region was launched to produce blue hydrogen in support of the country’s efforts for a more diversified mix of energy sources.
• Dubai recently (2023) announced the introduction of a new urban planning law for the city to attract and regulate investment, promote sustainable development, and improve the quality of life of residents. It also sets out a new EIA and SEA framework for all developments in the city under the new and approved 2040 Dubai Urban Master Plan. This is yet to be released.
• An announcement was recently made regarding the UAE Cabinet’s approval of the Third Update of the Country’s second NDC, MOCCAE announced a roadmap to achieving 40% emission reduction by 2030. The main emissions reduction targeted sectors were transport and power grid emissions.

5  Concluding Remarks

It is evident that sustainability and climate change abatement and adaptation are at the forefront of the country’s leadership agenda. Many commitments, plans, policy changes, and initiatives have been announced and we will continue to see such initiatives being driven and spearheaded by the UAE as compared to other countries in the region and abroad.

The UAE’s economy is heavily driven by revenues generated from petroleum and natural gas but the country’s leadership continues to positively influence its economy’s diversification plans into other sectors more specifically in banking, tourism, commerce and real estate.

Sustainability, being one of the key topics on the agenda and one of the common threads across all change in the country, I believe the UAE’s efforts in this regard are noticeable and despite the many challenges that are expected to arise in the implementation of these plans, the country will stand out in the region and beyond in showcasing its federal and institutional efforts towards achieving their vision.

6  References

Chatham House (2023). What is COP28 and Why is it important. Extracted on October 19^th from:

https://www.chathamhouse.org/2023/09/what-cop28-and-why-it-important#:~:text=COP28%20is%20important%20for%20several,the%20Paris%20Agreement%20is%20assessed

Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations (2016). UAE reaffirms its Climate Action During the Paris Agreement Signing Ceremony. Extracted on October 9^th, 2023 from:

https://www.un.int/uae/news/uae-reaffirms-its-climate-action-during-paris-agreement-signing-ceremony

United Arab Emirates Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (2016). National Climate Change Plan of the United Arab Emirates. Extracted on October 18^th, 2023 from: https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/30e58e2e/national-climate-change-plan-for-the-united-arab-emirates-2017-2050.aspx#:~:text=The%20timeline%20of%20the%20Climate,regime%20under%20the%20Paris%20Agreement.

United Nations Environmental Program (2022). What you need to know about COP27 loss and damage fund. Extracted on October 14^th , 2023 from:

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/what-you-need-know-about-cop27-loss-and-damage-fund

United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub (2023). Press Release – COP28 Presidency and UN Food Systems Coordination Hub Join Forces to Harness the Power of Food Systems Transformation for Climate Action. Extracted on October 15^th, 2023 from:

https://www.unfoodsystemshub.org/latest-updates/news/detail/press-release—cop28-presidency-and-un-food-systems-coordination-hub-join-forces-to-harness-the-power-of-food-systems-transformation-for-climate-action/en