Sharjah 24 – WAM: On behalf of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, honoured nine prominent global dignitaries with the First Class Order of Zayed II in recognition of their contributions to the success of COP28.
The honouring ceremony took place at the UAE's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings.
Sheikh Abdullah expressed his gratitude to all recipients for their sincere efforts that contributed to the success of COP28 and resulted in the historic “UAE Consensus” that has become a key framework for global climate action.
He also noted that His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed had honoured 21 international officials last May in Abu Dhabi for supporting the COP28 presidency’s action plan, which aims to raise global climate ambition and achieve sustainable development.
He added, “We are pleased to honour several global officials who have made effective contributions to climate action and demonstrated the feasibility of multilateral efforts in achieving significant results.”
Sheikh Abdullah highlighted the UAE’s commitment to strengthening international cooperation and raising ambition in future rounds of nationally determined contributions, stating that the country continues to support global climate action in preparation for COP29 through the “COP Presidencies Troika – Roadmap to Mission 1.5”.
Among the officials honoured were Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, for her tireless efforts in promoting climate finance and her commitment to supporting the COP29 Presidency in including everyone in climate action; Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, for his efforts during the final negotiations leading to the UAE Consensus; Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore, for her role in addressing the outcomes of the first global stocktake of the Paris Agreement; and Michael Bloomberg, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Climate Ambition and Solutions, for mobilising the efforts of more than 1,000 local leaders from around the world to attend the “COP28 Local Climate Action Summit”.
Other honourees included Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, in recognition of her contribution to COP29 International Advisory Committee and her support for reaching the “UAE Consensus”; and Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), in recognition of his contribution to the COP28 Advisory Committee and the agency’s ongoing efforts to assess progress in achieving the renewable energy targets stipulated in the COP28 Advisory Committee.
The list of officials honoured during the event also included Arvind Krishna, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IBM, for his contributions to the success of the COP28 Climate Innovation Forum; Brian Moynihan, Chairman and CEO of Bank of America, was honoured for mobilising business leaders for climate action at the COP28 Business and Philanthropy Climate Forum. Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was acknowledged for his tireless efforts in supporting the COP28 Presidency and all parties to achieve the most ambitious and comprehensive set of outcomes for climate negotiations since the Paris Agreement.
The event was attended by Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, Minister of Culture; Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment; Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State; Razan Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion of the COP28 Presidency; Noura Al Suwaidi, Secretary-General of the General Women's Union; and Al Reem Abdullah Al Falasi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.
It is worth noting that COP28 marked significant progress and initiated a new phase of global climate action. The UAE leadership focused on making COP28 a conference for implementation rather than pledges.
The event concluded with the UAE Consensus, which saw agreement among 198 parties to the UNFCCC. This landmark agreement called for a transition to an energy system free of traditional fuels, tripling renewable energy capacity, and doubling annual improvements in energy efficiency by 2030. The conference raised over US$85 billion for climate action and launched 11 internationally supported pledges and declarations.
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