DUBAI, 31st March / WAM / The first regional climate week in the Middle East and North Africa 2022, hosted by the UAE government, represented by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the World Green Economy Organization, and the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, achieved unparalleled success and widespread praise from the most prominent institutions and personalities involved in the work. climate around the world.
The activities of the week, held in Dubai, attracted more than 15,000 attendees and virtual from 40 countries around the world, in addition to nearly 500 speakers and global experts, including ministers and officials from the government and private sectors, climate envoys and officials of climate organizations of the United Nations. Over the course of four days, Climate Week in the Middle East and North Africa witnessed the organization of more than 200 panel discussions, workshops and ministerial round tables.
The week’s events were organized in cooperation with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Program and the World Bank Group, and with the support of regional partners: the International Renewable Energy Agency. /IRENA/; the Secretariat of the League of Arab States; the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia; and the Islamic Development Bank.
The closing event of the Climate Week was attended by Her Excellency Maryam bint Mohammed Al Muhairi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment; His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, President of the World Green Economy Organization, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority; and James Grabert, Global Head of the Regional Collaboration Centers for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and a large number of climate officials and pioneers.
Raising the ambition of climate action.
Her Excellency Maryam bint Mohammed Al Muhairi said: The need to raise the ambition of climate action in the region was the main focus of Climate Week in the Middle East and North Africa, and through joint discussions between decision-makers, experts and specialists from the regional government and private sectors, we affirmed our commitment to work to achieve the 2030 sustainable development goals. Especially Goal 13 on climate action. The importance of strengthening cooperation and coordinating work efforts for common climate goals was also stressed. We were unanimously agreed to go beyond the climate action required for the region just for a simple energy transition, as we must adopt an integrated approach that includes all sectors and components of the entire regional community. Let us all contribute to achieving sustainable economic development for the region as a whole, through which we strengthen global climate action efforts, and ensure a better sustainable future.
Her Excellency pointed out that the global focus will focus on the Middle East and North Africa region during the current and next year, with the holding of the COP27 Conference in the Arab Republic of Egypt and COP28 in the UAE, and in turn, we are committed to maintaining and strengthening the momentum of discussions and directions for climate action.
A milestone.
In his speech during the closing event, His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, President of the World Green Economy Organization, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, praised the partners and organizers of Climate Week in the Middle East and North Africa for their effective contribution to the success of this important event, which shaped over the course of the year. Four days is a milestone in the march of climate action in the world in general, and the region in particular, which is witnessing a growing momentum of climate initiatives and is preparing to host the next two sessions of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP).
Al Tayer added that the Regional Climate Week in the Middle East and North Africa represented an exceptional moment in terms of timing, as it constituted the first climate event within the international agenda for 2022, and completed the momentum of the “Paris Climate Summit” and the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change /COP26/, which was held last year in Glasgow, United Kingdom, and formed a driving force to stimulate cooperation and concerted regional and international efforts to move forward in implementing the decisions and recommendations of these agreements, and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030. The “Regional Climate Week” was also held at the beginning of a fateful decade. In terms of climate protection and global warming. The event worked to mobilize regional support and strengthen cooperation between government agencies, private institutions and civil society organizations to create the ideal environment for the convening of the “Conference of States Parties” in its twenty-seventh session /COP27/ in the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt during the current year, and its twenty-eighth session /COP28/ in the UAE United Arab Emirates next year.
His Excellency Al Tayer concluded by saying that holding the event in Dubai allowed us to share our ambitious national vision and our successes in contributing to supporting global efforts to address climate change, as Dubai succeeded in implementing strategic projects that significantly increased dependence on clean and renewable energy sources, and reduced carbon emissions by 22% in 2019 and 33% in 2020, exceeding the target percentages. The Regional Climate Week emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation at the local and international levels in order to confront the repercussions of climate change, enhance sustainability, and build a better future for all of humanity. At the conclusion of this event, we can only thank all the participants, partners, sponsors and supporters of Climate Week in the Middle East and North Africa 2022, especially the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” and its team, inspired by the success of this pioneering regional event, the confidence and determination to raise the ceiling of our climate ambitions, Strengthening bridges of cooperation in order to achieve the desired climate goals, which are a major priority for all countries of the world, and a paramount necessity in light of the growing impact of climate change day after day.
The most prominent recommendations of the Regional Climate Week included a call on all stakeholders to continue providing continuous, multi-sectoral and multi-level assistance to achieve the goals of achieving a carbon-neutral economy, which can contribute to creating sustainable economies, increasing employment opportunities, social security and prosperity; national governments developing policies and regulatory frameworks to de-risk private sector investments, mobilize financial resources and guide investors; and to recommend to the international community that when setting a new collective quantitative target on climate finance, adequate consideration should be given to the volume of climate finance in a way that meets the needs and priorities of developing countries, as well as the quality of the finance needed, with a view to ensuring access to climate finance; and recommend that the planning and development of long-term, low-emission development strategies, in which Ministries of Environment and/or Climate Change are now largely involved, to include Ministries of Economy, Finance, Energy and others to truly unleash the potential of this process and consider developing macroeconomic road maps for a just transition and accompanying policy options, which include all relevant ministries and unify the vision on the objectives set.
The week’s activities revolved around three tracks: Track One: “Raising Ambition: National Measures and Comprehensive Economic Approaches” and Track Two: “Between Traditions and Modernity: Integrated Approaches to Confronting Climate Change”.
And the third track: “Accelerating the implementation process during this crucial decade.”