31 Weeks To Go

The 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UNFCCC will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 30 November to 12 December 2023. In the coming months, our UAE office selects and shares articles to keep you informed on preparations and perspectives from the wider Arabian Gulf.

Germany, UAE host 14th Petersberg Climate Dialogue, amidst protests. On 2-3 May, over 40 ministers will gather during the high-level Petersberg Dialogue in Berlin. The dialogue is focused on preparations for COP28 and will be attended by, among others, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UAE's Sultan Al Jaber, the EU's Frans?Timmermans and Saudi's Prince Abdulaziz. Climate activists have been disrupting Berlin for the past two weeks.

EU agrees binding targets for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). EU member states reached agreement on the?ReFuelEU Aviation?proposal. By 2025, aviation fuel suppliers?will need to supply 2% of SAF of their overall fuel supplied at EU airports. Aircraft operators are required to avoid "tankering". The measure should reduce aircraft CO2?emissions by around two-thirds by 2050 compared to a "no action" scenario.

UK sets new vision for development, prioritizes climate action funding. UK's International Development Minister Andrew Mitchell set out a new vision for international development policies. One of the stated priorities is to generate the funding needed to tackle climate change and reassert the primacy of purpose of reaching the?SDGs. In this context, he mentioned that COP28 will need to show "clear and unmistakable progress".

COP28's Higher Committee stresses pragmatic approach to climate crisis. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation and Chairman of the COP28 Higher Committee, convened members to discuss priorities, preparations and milestones. Sultan Al Jaber stated that “We need an approach that ensures economic prosperity and energy access in parallel with emissions reductions".

Israeli Climate Law tabled in Knesset due to ministries' opposition. A Knesset Committee postponed discussing Israel's draft Climate Law, which sets goals for Israel transitioning to zero greenhouse gas emissions. The bill is expected to run into opposition from the Finance Ministry and the Energy Ministry, but other?ministers say that, to avoid international embarrassment, Israel must pass an ambitious climate law before COP28.

Opinion: Why greenwashing in the financial sector is a risky business. In UAE newspaper The National, the managing director of Dubai Financial Services Authority writes that greenwashing can have a wide-ranging impact on the success and integrity of sustainability-focused financial markets. Tackling greenwashing requires a concerted effort to ensure finance flows towards the projects, products and services that are the most efficient and effective in helping us achieve net-zero emissions.

Annual Meeting of Arab Financial Institutions, climate finance workshop. The Joint Annual Meeting of Arab Financial Institutions took place on 29 April in Rabat, Morocco, to discuss means of overcoming development challenges faced by the Arab region. On the sidelines, a high-level workshop on Climate Finance was organized, to open communication channels with decision-makers to draw a roadmap for managing climate challenges.

Opinion: Getting ahead of the Middle East’s climate refugee conundrum. The Middle East Institute published an article warning for an increasing flow of climate-related refugees from the Middle East and North Africa. The article presents some ways to prepare for this climate migrant crisis, including efforts towards loss and damage financing, and for refugee-recipient countries to amend their internal asylum/refugee systems.?

UNFCCC holds Global Stocktake (GST) Intersessional Consultation. On 27-28 April, the UNFCCC considered the outcome of 39 submissions received so far on engaged parties' views on the GST. Many agreed that the GST should build high-level political momentum to enhance ambitions of national plans, while noting that negotiations on content can only start after the synthesis report of the technical dialogue comes available in September.

Bahrain to organize first edition of its Green Youth hackathon. The Youth Pioneer Society and the French Embassy in Bahrain announced the opening of registration for the first edition of the Green Youth Hackathon, co-organized in partnership with the Bahraini Scientific Center for Sustainable Development Goals, The Collective Hub and the French Company Upgradelle. The initiative targets youth aged 18-30 years.