H.H. Sheikh Abdullah honours officials for COP28 roles

His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, honoured nine global dignitaries with the First Class Order of Zayed II in recognition of their contributions to 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, honouring those on behalf of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, 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 the UAE President 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.

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”.

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 $85 billion (AED312 billion) for climate action and launched 11 internationally supported pledges and declarations.