Dr Sultan Al Jaber, the President-designate of Cop28 and UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change, has held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, as preparations continue for the UN environmental talks later this year.
The leaders met in Paris, where the pact to limit global warming to 1.5°C was agreed in 2015.
Dr Al Jaber and Mr Macron discussed how concerted global action could meet the agreement’s goals, the official Cop28 Twitter account said.
While in Paris Dr Al Jaber, who is also Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, told diplomats that the world must cut emissions by 43 per cent in the next seven years to be on track for the target.
He was joined at the meeting with Mr Macron by Cop28 Youth Climate Champion Shamma Al Mazrui, who is also the UAE’s Minister of Community Development.
The officials said the UAE will “ensure Cop28’s inclusive agenda continues to drive meaningful action and global solidarity when addressing the critical importance of keeping 1.5°C alive”.
Mr Macron and Dr Al Jaber discussed the importance of building on the close strategic relationship between France and the UAE, the Cop28 account said.
They also spoke about unlocking more climate funding, the reform of financial institutions and challenges faced by vulnerable nations.
The leaders looked into “leveraging France’s leadership in unifying concerted global action to realise the goals” of the Paris Agreement.
Cop28 is scheduled to take place in Dubai between November 30 and December 12.
