Sheikh Abdullah stresses need to build on UAE Consensus to drive action at Cop29

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Chairman of the Higher Committee Responsible for Overseeing Preparations for Cop28, has stressed the need to build on the historic UAE Consensus at the Cop29 climate talks in Azerbaijan in November.

The UAE Consensus saw countries agree to “transition away” from fossil fuels and scale up clean energy to help keep the crucial 1.5ºC climate goal within reach.

He praised the diplomatic efforts made since Cop28 finished in December last year.

"Cop28 was a historic event where the UAE Consensus and the Cop Presidency’s action plan provided a successful model for multilateral diplomacy, producing a comprehensive negotiation text with practical solutions to mitigate climate change," he said, while outlining the country's action plan ahead of the November talks.

He said Cop29 must take the opportunity "to continue turning agreed outcomes into reality" and "enhance global climate action", state news agency Wam reported.

The Preparatory Committee for the UAE’s Participation in Cop29 includes ministers and officials from various sectors.

It highlighted key points from the Cop29 presidency’s strategy, including raising ambitions, climate finance, empowering climate action, international co-operation, loss and damage, and the action agenda at the virtual meeting. It also touched on the UAE’s water-related initiatives, stressing the need to highlight this issue at Baku.

The UAE’s efforts to submit transparent reports on its climate commitments, in line with its membership in the UNFCCC, were reviewed, including the Cabinet's decision to join the Partnership for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC Partnership), a coalition aiming to promote sustainable development and tools for climate adaptation.

During the meeting, committee members outlined their preparations for Cop29 to ensure cohesive government efforts across strategic, diplomatic, economic, and technological sectors, ensuring the UAE's active role in the conference and reinforcing its international climate commitments and legacy from Cop 28.