This came in his speech at a high-level event of the Troika of the Presidencies of the Conference of the Parties on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York.
Al Jaber called on all parties to submit enhanced third versions of their nationally determined contributions, which represent comprehensive national response plans that meet the urgent requirements of climate action and contribute to achieving the goals of the historic “UAE Agreement”, stressing the need to view these contributions as opportunities to stimulate more growth and green jobs and build a sustainable, low-emission future, and not as a burden.
In his speech at the event, which was held under the title “Roadmap for the 1.5°C Mission: The Third Nationally Determined Contributions,” Al Jaber stressed the need to adhere to the goals and outcomes of the “UAE Agreement,” which represents a blueprint for achieving a qualitative shift in climate action. He explained that the Troika of the COP Presidencies represents a pioneering model for cooperation and unifying the efforts of COP28 with the COP29 Presidencies in Azerbaijan and COP30 in Brazil, with the aim of raising the ceiling of ambition in the next round of nationally determined contributions.
The COP28 President called on all parties to take the initiative to submit enhanced versions of their NDCs before or during COP29 to build political momentum in this important decade for climate action, and to support these contributions with effective investments to achieve qualitative progress in climate action that supports the implementation of the goals of the historic “UAE Agreement”, and to launch a new phase of sustainable economic and social growth that contributes to supporting the 1.5°C goal, enhancing global well-being, and leaving no one behind.
He pointed out that the parties’ announcement of their contributions before the deadline set for February 2025 helps build the momentum needed to encourage the rest of the countries to commit to the deadline and submit ambitious national contributions. He announced that the UAE will officially submit its third version of the nationally determined contributions before the COP29 conference in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, during the period from November 11 to 22, months before the deadline set for February 2025.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber explained that the UAE’s Nationally Determined Contributions aim to reduce emissions of all greenhouse gases, and cover all sectors of the economy, including energy, industry, transportation and waste. It will also benefit from the latest technologies, especially artificial intelligence, to stimulate emission reductions and enhance climate resilience and adaptation by bringing about a radical positive change in food and health systems and early warning of climate change risks. It will also support all climate action efforts by establishing an effective legal framework to enhance the implementation of the principles of supervision and follow-up and ensure that each sector achieves specific goals linked to a time frame.
He renewed the call for all parties to submit enhanced versions of the nationally determined contributions that allow for benefiting from the economic opportunities provided by the three major comprehensive trends that will shape the future of the world: the orderly and realistic transition in the energy sector, the great development in artificial intelligence, and the growth and rise of emerging markets and countries of the South.
He stressed the UAE’s leadership in diversifying the energy mix, after doubling the production capacity of renewable energy compared to 2019, stressing that the UAE’s efforts in this field continue to increase this capacity more than three times by 2030.
He highlighted the significant progress made by the Oil and Gas Emissions Reduction Charter launched at COP28, with its membership reaching 54 members representing 43 percent of global oil production, which constitutes a positive model that all countries can apply to contain industrial sectors and motivate them to participate in climate action effectively.
He stressed the need to reach consensus on a new collective goal on climate finance during COP29 to ensure that finance reaches countries and groups most vulnerable to the repercussions of climate change, noting the importance of climate finance to ensure the implementation of ambitious nationally determined contributions consistent with the 1.5°C goal, and to provide adequate financial support for “adaptation” and “mitigation” efforts.
His Excellency pointed to two models that should be replicated to stimulate and scale up clean economic growth: the Africa Green Investment Initiative, which is investing $4.5 billion in renewable energy projects across the continent, and the Alterra Climate Investment Fund, launched during COP28, which has so far provided $6.5 billion in partnership with investors to support climate action.
It is worth noting that the COP Troika Presidencies launched a series of “Ambition Action Councils”, which brought countries together at events such as the “Petersberg Climate Dialogue” in Germany and the “Climate Action Ministerial” in Wuhan, China, as part of its efforts to raise the bar of ambition in the next round of nationally determined contributions.
In its recent letter to the Parties, the Troika called for raising the ceiling of ambition in the next version of the Nationally Determined Contributions, as a means of implementing the globally adopted climate commitments, preserving the possibility of achieving the 1.5°C goal, and supporting global climate resilience, which requires all Parties and stakeholders to take concrete and realistic steps to ensure the provision of appropriate favorable conditions for implementing the pledges.
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