Climate, Security, and Peace: New Emirati commitments to launch COP28
The UAE is preparing to hold the 28th Climate Summit in the coming months, using a strategy aimed at preserving security, climate and peace.
The summit comes at a volatile time globally and in an extremely complicated international environment, as many countries have reneged on their climate commitments to achieve energy security for their citizens, and as the war in Ukraine, which resulted in an energy crisis, continues to cast a shadow over much of the world.
To meet global targets at the COP28 Climate Summit, the UAE selected officials known for their efforts in this area and announced its commitments for COP28.
A march started by the UAE
“To complement the process initiated by the UAE, the UAE announced at the UN Security Council a series of pledges to advance a coherent, responsive, and evidence-based approach to climate, peace, and security.”
15 UAE pledges to Security Council
Through its pledges, the United Arab Emirates has worked to cover a range of Council functions and to achieve the common goal of Member States to enable the Council to address the risks and negative impacts of climate change that affect its mandate of maintaining international peace and security.
“Climate change is the biggest security challenge of our time, as there is no real security without climate security,” said Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of the State to the United Nations. “It is worth noting that the world, and specifically the Security Council, cannot ignore this issue.”
“As the incoming President of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC at its twenty-eighth session (COP28), we have decided to join forces with our colleagues to advance this agenda, through our commitments, which we believe are necessary for the maintenance of international peace and security,” said Lana Nusseibeh.
Commitments to pledges
The pledges include commitments by countries to hold at least one Security Council meeting on climate, peace and security, highlighting the importance of supporting cross-cutting risk assessments and risk management strategies, and inviting climate, peace and security experts to brief the Council.
It also includes providing them with support, expanding the integration of climate, peace and security language into the work and outputs of the Council, and encouraging all United Nations peacekeeping operations to minimize their carbon footprint.
UAE praised for addressing climate issues
Fareed Belhaj, the World Bank’s vice president for the Middle East and North Africa, praised the UAE’s pivotal role in addressing climate change issues. The UAE hosted the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and will chair the COP for one year, and the UAE launched a series of policies and initiatives that looked forward to climate issues.
