UAE Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace launched at COP28

The COP28 Presidency formally launched the UAE Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace on Sunday, with endorsements from 74 countries and 40 international organizations.

Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, the UAE's Minister of International Cooperation announced the declaration, which enshrines a collective commitment to increase investment and actions to drive resilience in countries and communities affected by conflict, fragility or humanitarian crisis, along with an initial package of financial, programming and partnership solutions.

HE Reem Al Hashimy, 🇦🇪’s Minister of International Cooperation, has announced that 74 countries, and 40 international organizations, have endorsed the COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace, a key part of the COP28 Presidency’s focus on building climate… pic.twitter.com/fhvk47G4QH

— COP28 UAE (@COP28_UAE) December 3, 2023

Commenting on the Declaration, Ambassador Al Suwaidi, COP28 Director-General, said “Climate change impacts everybody but we are not all being affected equally. In fragile and conflict-affected settings, extreme weather events affect three times as many people annually compared to other countries. Despite this, people living in extremely fragile states receive a fraction – up to 80 times less – of climate finance compared to those in non-fragile states. The COP28 Presidency is committed to driving action and consensus to change this.”

The day also saw the launch of a "Getting Ahead of Disasters Charter", which sets out principles for collaborative action to manage climate-related risks and protect vulnerable populations.

The COP28 Presidency, The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the United Nations also hosted presidents of countries in the Horn of Africa to introduce their regional climate security strategy, and the COP28 Presidency partnered with the UN Secretary-General to mobilize new support for Early Warnings for All, the initiative to cover 100% of the globe with early warning systems by 2027.

In keeping with this, 3 December was also dedicated to health, as part of efforts by the COP28 Presidency to focus global audiences on protecting communities from the threats of climate change.

As such, the day also featured the first ever Climate and Health Ministerial to be held at a COP, bringing together Ministers of Health and senior health delegates from over 100 countries, aiming to close health-related gaps in Paris Agreement implementation to 2030.

Speaking on the day as a whole, Ambassador Al Suwaidi noted: “While we build the energy system of tomorrow, we cannot ignore the needs of people today. We must rapidly protect and promote their health and well-being while improving the climate-resilience of healthcare systems and reduce climate-health risks.”