The United Arab Emirates (UAE), the center for global debate and cooperation on sustainability issues, hosted the first ever Abu Dhabi Global Action Day, an international forum calling on public and private sector leaders to drive forward the commercial ventures and technology breakthroughs needed to tackle climate change and deliver on the global sustainability goals adopted in 2015.
The high-level event was part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), one of the world’s largest gathering on sustainable development.
The event followed the Paris climate summit, COP21, where world leaders agreed to a historic framework on climate change. As a catalyst for action, the forum convened governments and businesses to accelerate progress ahead of the next climate conference, COP22, which will be held in Marrakesh, Morocco in November 2016.
“It is an honor for me to address this very important event of Abu Dhabi Global Action Day,” said H.E. Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerian President, in opening remarks. “Sustainability is woven in the heritage of the UAE and Abu Dhabi is progressively getting the recognition it very well deserves as an important, renewable capital of the world.”
“Abu Dhabi Global Action Day provides the first major opportunity after the Paris climate change conference for the energy and sustainability communities to build on the successes of the agreement in Paris,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “I hope the new ideas and initiatives generated here will further expand the scope and effectiveness of climate action.”
In addition to Nigerian President H.E. Muhammadu Buhari and UN Secretary General H.E. Ban Ki-moon, remarks were also delivered by Prime Minister of Morocco H.E. Abdelilah Benkirane, current COP President and Foreign Minister of France H.E. Laurent Fabius, UAE Minister of State and Special Envoy for Climate Change H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres.
“Abu Dhabi Global Action Day is an ideal platform that enables the sharing of knowledge and experiences on global sustainability, said H.E. Abdelilah Benkirane, Prime Minister of Morocco. “As host country for the next climate summit, COP22, the Kingdom of Morocco is looking forward to leading the international community in addressing climate change.”
“I would like to thank our host, the UAE, for this opportunity at Abu Dhabi Global Action Day to reflect on COP21 and discuss the steps ahead. I have no doubt that this event, as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, will remain a major milestone for climate action in the years to come.” said H.E. Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Minister and COP21 President.
Abu Dhabi Global Action Day included a series of panel sessions that focused on immediate actions to support the Paris climate agreement, cooperation between governments and private sectors to drive partnership and investments, and the future of global energy.
The event also included discussions on breakthrough technologies needed to create transformational change, as well as next steps on Mission Innovation, a global initiative to accelerate clean energy innovation.
“For over a decade, our leadership has been implementing comprehensive policies and adopting strategies to diversify the UAE’s economy into knowledge driven industries,” said H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Special Envoy for Climate Change. “Today, these efforts have made our nation and our economy more resilient and have contributed to international action on sustainability.”
Other participants included H.E. Dr. Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, UAE Minister of Environment and Water, H.E. Suhail Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy, H.E. Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Permanent Representative to IRENA and Director of Energy and Climate Change at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as other ministers and high-level speakers from governments and private sectors.
ADSW is the first major international gathering after the annual Conference of Parties (COP) of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and provides a supportive platform for climate action. The conference, held on January 16-23, is hosted by Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company.
No comments:
Post a Comment