GCC nations rally behind COP28 UAE

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations re-affirmed their support for the UAE’s hosting of COP28 this year.

The six-nation bloc emphasised the importance of the UN conference in tackling climate change, during a ministerial meeting, which was held virtually on Monday, June 12.

The meeting, called at the request of the UAE, was chaired by Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals and Chairman of the National Committee for Climate Change in Oman.

The UAE was represented by Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President-Designate, Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and Shamma Al Mazrui, UAE Minster of Community Development and the first-ever COP28 Youth Climate Champion.

Officials representing Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain also attended the session.

They hailed the appointment of the leadership team for COP28 and hailed the UAE's commitment to transformative development and moving global climate action from negotiations to finding and implementing logical and practical solutions.

The GCC countries supported the team's call for coordination, cooperation and joint action for the success of COP28, inviting all countries and relevant international organisations to actively participate in the conference.

They also acknowledged the outcomes of COP27 and congratulated Egypt on its successful organisation of the conference.

During the meeting, the efforts of the Gulf countries in combating climate change were highlighted, including measures, plans, and programmes to ensure environmental, economic, and social sustainability in the region through the circular carbon economy approach, which is a closed loop system involving 4Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle, and remove.

The GCC nations also welcomed the Saudi Green Initiative and the Green Middle East Initiative as effective models for tackling climate change.

The group agreed to hold the next committee meeting to follow up on developments and preparations for COP28 on October 8, 2023, on the sidelines of the MENA Climate Week to be held in Riyadh from October 9 to 12.

At the meeting, GCC countries stressed the need for #COP28UAE to achieve ambitious and balanced negotiated outcomes across adaptation, mitigation, Loss and Damage, and finance. pic.twitter.com/N3Ne0TC2xL

— COP28 UAE (@COP28_UAE) June 12, 2023