UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment speaks at COP29

DUBAI, UAE, 13 November 2024: Her Excellency Dr Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, took part in a series of high-profile events at COP29 in Azerbaijan, covering a wide range of climate-relevant topics, including Agriculture, Youth and Water. Across all her speaking engagements, she highlighted the UAE’s continued efforts to foster collaboration and inclusivity – two elements that the UAE believes are essential to accelerating climate action throughout 2025 and into COP30 in Brazil.

Her Excellency gave the opening speech at the High-Level Plenary Event, titled ‘Delivering on Climate Action Through Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation’, on November 12, where she outlined the global lead that the UAE has taken in promoting the potential of agriculture and food systems in keeping a global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees C within reach.

H.E. Dr Al Dahak called on nations to go further in collaborating, saying: “As we embark on COP29 and look ahead to COP30, it is vital we continue the momentum established at COP28 and collaborate at scale. We must work hard to identify synergies between nations in terms of their food challenges and embrace opportunities to accelerate progress. We are already reaping the rewards of collaboration, but there is scope for so much more.”

In a COP29 event hosted by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and COP29 Presidency, Republic of Azerbaijan, HE Dr Al Dahak joined COP29 President, H.E. Mukhtar Babayev, and other international representatives to discuss the role of cities and regions in delivering on the goals of the Paris Agreement.

During the event, titled, ‘Baku to Belem and Beyond: COP Presidencies Bringing Cities, Urbanization and Multilevel Climate Action to the Heart of the Climate Agenda’, H.E. Dr Al Dahak presented updates since the launch of the COP28 Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships for Climate Action (CHAMP) initiative. The CHAMP pledge was endorsed by 74 nations at COP28, last year, underscoring the global community’s recognition that multilevel cooperation can be the bridge between pledges and progress.

During the morning, H.E. Dr Al Dahak also took part in the COP29 IRENA Youth Circle event, Intergenerational Action for Tripling Renewable Energy by 2030. The event forms part of IRENA’s efforts to convene a youth circle at COP29, in partnership with the Global Renewables Alliance, creating a space for young people to meaningfully engage with decision makers on key issues for renewable energy transition.

During the event, H.E. Dr Al Dahak discussed the ways in which educational institutions and governments can collaborate to ensure young people acquire the skills needed to lead in the renewable energy sector, and innovative methods that can be employed to make energy transition knowledge and training more accessible and relevant to youth in the Global South.