UAE figures took on leading roles at the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris this week, where they engaged in discussions with international leaders on climate finance reform.
During the summit, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Cop28 President-designate, met climate leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Motley and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to address climate finance imbalances and discuss potential solutions.
The summit, convened by Mr Macron and Ms Motley, aims to foster global financial reform with a particular focus on mobilising more resources towards climate action and supporting vulnerable communities.
Dr Al Jaber stressed the need for broader participation across the financial community to meet the pressing challenge of climate change.
The Cop28 President-designate pointed out that clean energy investment in low-income countries constitutes less than 2 per cent of the global sector investment, significantly short of the baseline requirement of $120 billion a year.
“Changing that equation requires trillions in private investment, not just billions in multilateral loans,” he said.
He also emphasised the importance of developed nations meeting their commitments to provide finance for developing countries and called climate finance an economic opportunity, not a burden.
Dr Al Jaber led talks on private capital mobilisation at a roundtable discussion hosted by prominent financial and economic leaders including Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank, and Mark Carney, UN special envoy on climate action and finance.
He further advocated the role of private capital in climate finance and the importance of making finance more accessible and cheaper, especially for countries in the Global South.
Dr Al Jaber also stressed the importance of mechanisms that reduce the perceived risk of investing in emerging and developing economies.
A separate roundtable session focused on Voluntary Carbon Markets, with Dr Al Jaber emphasising their potential role in financing decarbonisation efforts. The session highlighted the need for governments, organisations and civil society to work collaboratively to establish regulations and standards for these markets.
In parallel to the financial discussions, the UAE's Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for Cop28, took part in a major announcement made at the Elysee Palace.
A coalition committed to protecting and funding natural capital worldwide unveiled significant commitments, aiming to follow the Kunming-Montreal agreement and protect 30 per cent of lands and seas by 2030, while developing new economic models rewarding natural capital.
They intend to establish country packages for forests, nature and climate based on mutual commitments and scientific data.
The coalition also plans to fast-track negotiations using funds from partners such as the Wildlife Conservation Society and anticipates the funding of large-scale projects with pledged investments from sources including the Bezos Earth Fund.
Private sector investment in carbon and biodiversity reserves is another key focus, with an international task force launched to define a suitable framework.
This coalition seeks to work closely with indigenous and local communities in these efforts, respecting their knowledge, plans and leadership in forest protection and use.
Both Dr Al Jaber and Ms Al Mubarak had fruitful private meetings with international leaders and concluded their participation in the summit with a clear vision for progress.
“Climate change sees no division between North and South … If we act in true unity, we can apply pace and scope to deliver action and hope,” Dr Al Jaber said.
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale
Opening Premier League fixtures, August 14
- Brentford v Arsenal
- Burnley v Brighton
- Chelsea v Crystal Palace
- Everton v Southampton
- Leicester City v Wolves
- Manchester United v Leeds United
- Newcastle United v West Ham United
- Norwich City v Liverpool
- Tottenham v Manchester City
- Watford v Aston Villa
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Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
The five pillars of Islam
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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