During its successful participation at the World Government Summit (WGS), the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) held the Climate Change Forum – Climate Action Now, which saw the launch of The Climate Project, aimed at delivering climate initiatives that touch the lives of 10,000,000 people by 2020.
The Climate Change Forum – Climate Action Now comprised of three panel sessions and kicked off with a presentation by His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, exploring how climate change is merging with humanitarian crises and impacting global peace and prosperity. His Excellency Dr. Thani outlined possible scenarios of the future, in the light of ongoing climate change mitigation and adaption efforts.
The first panel session was entitled “Women and Youth: The Catalyst to Solve Global Challenges”, and focused on how women and youth can be leveraged as powerful agents of change. In this discussion, Forest Whitaker, Founder and CEO of Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI), and UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace, joined Her Excellency Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid, UAE Minister of Community Development, to address the disproportional impact of climate change on women and youth.
The second panel session was entitled “Climate Change: A Threat Multiplier”, and discussed climate change as a key factor in global conflict and insecurity. Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and HRH Princess Sarah Zeid discussed the linkages between climate change and insecurity, which traditionally account for over 70% of humanitarian situations, and how both development and humanitarian assistance can explicitly address these issues.
The third and final panel session of the Climate Change Forum – Climate Action Now, entitled “Rising Tides: Preparing for the New Normal”, explored the impacts of the recent hurricanes in the Caribbean. The session began with a video from the President of Marshall Island, Hilda Heine, who gave an emotional window into the problems facing her country. Robert De Niro then prefaced the panel with a keynote address where he shared his experience and concern for Barbuda, the island nation that was devastated in 2017 by hurricane Irma. De Niro was joined by Antigua & Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who provided an honest assessment of the status of his nation and what he hopes will happen next.
At the end of the first day of WGS, MOCCAE held a press conference to announce The Climate Project, a joint venture between MOCCAE and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The Climate Project will be a two-year effort to bridge the climate-humanitarian nexus by studying climate adaptation innovations and projects, raising awareness, and supporting communities to increase their climate resilience. With the aim of delivering climate initiatives that touch the lives of 10,000,000 people by 2020, the Project will carry out its work under three main pillars: Gender and Youth, Extreme Weather Events, and Sustainable Solutions.
On the second day of the WGS, MOCCAE, together with Global Citizen, the social action platform that aims to engage the international community in solving the world’s biggest challenges, organized a youth dialogue to discuss how youth can contribute to organizations and to the delivery of the 2030 Development Agenda. The dialogue drew the participation of His Excellency Dr. Al Zeyoudi; Forest Whitaker; Goldie Hawn; His Excellency Adnan Z. Amin, Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA); and Wei Soo, Co-founder of Global Citizen.
Furthermore, MOCCAE organized two press conferences; the first jointly with the Dubai Land Department to announce the “Report on: State of Play of Sustainable Cities and Buildings in the Arab Regions”, and the second with Dubai Municipality to announce that the UAE will host the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP13), in Dubai from October 21st to 30th, 2018.
MOCCAE concluded its participation at WGS with the signing of an MoU with Majid Al Futtaim, announcing a partnership in line with the UAE ‘s commitment to address the causes and impacts of climate change, transition into a climate resilient green economy, and achieve a better quality of life.
His Excellency Dr. Al Zeyoudi also took part in the “WGS 2018: Outcomes of Sustainable Development Goals Discussions Remain Positive”, held in the run-up to the WGS. In the session, leaders from around the world examined a wide range of topics related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, from the progress already being made, through working together to finding solutions to issues that are still a big concern, such as combating poverty.
In addition to His Excellency Dr. Al Zeyoudi, the panel comprised of His Excellency Mahmoud Mohieldin, Senior Vice President of the World Bank Group; Her Excellency Irina Bokova, former Director General of UNESCO; His Excellency Adnan Z. Amin; His Excellency Imad N. Fakhoury, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of Jordan; Her Excellency Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Deputy Secretary-General of OECD; Her Excellency Dr. Aisha Butti Bin Bishr, Director General of the Smart Dubai Office; and Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean.