UAE delegation takes part in COP22

In an effort to strengthen collaboration with other regions of the world, a UAE delegation, headed by Saeed Al Tayer, vice chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), will participate in the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP22).

The event is hosted in Marrakesh, Morocco, Nov. 7–18.

The high level delegation is committed to working with different countries across the globe to find answers to climate change, while following the guidelines set at COP21 last year in Paris. The delegation is made of dignitaries like Ahmed Al Muhairbi, secretary general of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy; Waleed Salman, chairman of the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence (Dubai Carbon); Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, executive vice president of business support and human resources at DEWA; Khawla Al Mehairi, vice president of marketing and corporate communications at DEWA; and Mohammed Al Shamsi, acting executive director of the UAE Water Aid Foundation.

Tayer highlighted the fact that the UAE’s involvement in COP22 falls in line with the strategic plan set forth by President Khalifa Al Nahyan and Vice President Mohammed Al Maktoum.

The UAE leaders want to better sustainable development while supporting global collaborations to protect the environment, as noted in the agreement set forth during COP21. Part of that plan specifically identifies keeping the world’s average temperature far below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and to restrict it to 1.5°C.

 “Our participation in COP22, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Marrakesh, has a special importance,” Al Tayer said. “We will show the UAE’s support for the international community’s efforts to enhance sustainability and green economy, while limiting the increasing effects of climate change. Dubai has a comprehensive vision for a sustainable future which is pivotal to the success of building a green economy. The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy has participated in a number of international events. The UAE delegation played a vital role in the negotiations that led to the Paris Agreement in 2015, and the Dubai Declaration 2016.”

The UAE is noted as one of the world’s first countries to take on the issue of climate change, to have supported the extension of the Kyoto protocol in 2005, and to minimize greenhouse gases throughout industrial regions.

Finally, at COP15, the UAE was one of the first countries in line to sign the Copenhagen Accord to limit emissions.