COP 28 President calls on global stakeholders to unite, act and deliver

COP28 President Dr. Sultan Al Jaber has called for "unprecedented action" from every government, business and industry to deliver the "historic" UAE Consensus on Tuesday.

Speaking at the ‘Beyond COP28: Time to Unite, Act, and Deliver the UAE Consensus’ event in Paris, Dr Al Jaber urged all global stakeholders to build on the momentum achieved at COP28.

“The UAE Consensus raised the bar and set a clear path to keep our north star of 1.5°C within reach,” he added.

"All Parties who signed the UAE Consensus must work on enhancing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), ahead of the next cycle in 2025. That work needs to start right now. They need to adopt comprehensive economy-wide emission reduction targets."

Dr. Al Jaber asked attendees "to keep this spirit alive and build on the momentum achieved at COP28. The UAE Consensus set a new direction and a clear course correction. We must now turn an unprecedented agreement into unprecedented action. Now is the time for all stakeholders to step up".

Speaking at ‘Beyond COP28: Time to Unite, Act, and Deliver on the UAE Consensus’, hosted by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, COP28 President Dr. Sultan Al Jaber highlighted the historic significance of the UAE Consensus and urged the attendees, from ministers and ambassadors… pic.twitter.com/Bvsl3YpiEZ

— COP28 UAE (@COP28_UAE) February 20, 2024

All industries should leverage their technology, talent, and balance sheets to decarbonise at scale, Dr. Al Jaber said, as outlined in the UAE Consensus. COP28 also pushed the oil and gas industry to step up, with 40 percent of global oil production committing to zero methane emissions by 2030 and net zero by or before 2050. While describing these targets as "a good start", Dr. Al Jaber said "it must be built on. I will continue to push for more".

The COP Presidencies Troika (the Troika) was a key achievement of the COP28 Presidency and mandated in the UAE Consensus. The Troika was formally launched last week to unite COP28 with the COP Presidencies of Azerbaijan and Brazil and will enhance international cooperation to stimulate ambition in the next round of NDCs.

“The Troika will, for the first time, bridge the gap between COPs. It will lock in continuity, maintain momentum, and help anchor implementation of the historic UAE Consensus. It will aim to turn the commitments made at COP28 into concrete results.” Dr. Al Jaber said.

During his visit to Paris, Dr. Al Jaber also attended the second plenary meeting of the UAE-France High-Level Business Council, where he reiterated the importance of moving to implementation of The UAE Consensus. The Council was established in January 2023 to enhance bilateral business between the UAE and France, with a specific focus on delivering impactful joint projects on climate action that harness the power and investment of the private sector.