United Nations climate change conference’s 28th conference of parties (COP28) |24 November 2023

Souvenir photo of the guests with UAE Chargé d’Affaires Alneyadi (Photo: Contributed)

UAE to work with Seychelles to mitigate risks caused by climate change, says chargé d’affaires Alneyadi

Leaders from Seychelles will be among the more than 70,000 delegates including world leaders, scientists, activists and more for talks at the United Nations climate change conference’s 28th conference of parties slated for November 30 to December 12 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) chargé d’affaires to Seychelles, Ahmed Saeed Rashed Alneyadi, hosted a lunch for some members of the Seychelles delegation who will be attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference 28th conference of parties (UNFCCC COP28) to take stock of its progress towards achieving the climate goals of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C compared to pre-industrial levels by 2050.

He announced that the UAE is going to work hand in hand with the government of Seychelles to mitigate risks caused by climate change.

In attendance at Story hotel’s Trader Vic’s Restaurant and Lounge were Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment Minister Flavien Joubert; Education Minister Dr Justin Valentin; Health Minister Peggy Vidot; Lands and Housing Minister Billy Rangasamy; principal secretaries; director generals and other guests.

President Wavel Ramkalawan will be leading the Seychelles delegation to the COP28 in the UAE.

Speaking at the lunch, Mr Alneyadi said when the UAE launched the ‘Year of Sustainability’ under the slogan ‘Today for Tomorrow’, one of its priorities was to raise awareness about environmental sustainability and address the challenges associated with climate change.

He noted that through this global conference, the UAE prioritises accelerating sustainable development goals and expanding the scope of energy transformations.

He said “the focus is on ensuring that the outcome of this global event consists of actionable mechanisms, not just promises, by translating agreements into tangible realities and achievements. Through the visionary leadership of the UAE, the COP28 presidency aims through its plan based on four pillars:

• accelerating the transition to a more organised, responsible, and equitable energy sector,
• developing climate financing mechanisms,
• improving quality of life and livelihoods,
• and supporting the previous pillars by fully involving everyone in the conference's work system.”

Mr Alneyadi added that the goal is to achieve significant reductions in emissions and build a sustainable future energy system.

“The UAE has always viewed climate action as an opportunity to contribute practical solutions to a global issue that affects all countries. This is especially true given its economic diversification efforts and its commitment to creating knowledge, skills, and jobs for future generations. The UAE reaffirms its commitment to climate and sustainability issues, not only at the local level but also on the international stage. This commitment is aimed at preserving the environment and ensuring a better future for generations to come. The UAE actively seeks to lend a helping hand to countries and communities worldwide in facing the challenges associated with climate change,” said Mr Alneyadi.

The chargé d’affaires explained that as part of its ongoing pursuit of sustainable development, the UAE places significant importance on supporting climate change mitigation programmes.

“This enables communities to continue their economic and social progress without being adversely affected by climate challenges and to ensure the success of these efforts, the UAE shares its expertise and experiences with other countries, in addition to providing technical assistance to ensure the best outcomes,” he said.

Mr Alneyadi proudly said that COP28 will be the first to put global health on the climate agenda by hosting the first climate health ministerial meeting in partnership with the World Health Organisation. “At the same time, we must find a way to feed a growing population without overheating the planet. We call on all countries to sign up to the COP28 Declaration on Food, Agriculture, and Climate to help transform food systems for the health of the planet and its people,” said Mr Alneyadi.

Chargé d’Affaires Alneyadi added that the UAE is going to work hand in hand with the government of Seychelles to mitigate risks caused by climate change.

“The UAE is looking forward to working together with Seychelles to save the islands for future generations. We are ready to help with all types of assistance when it comes to the climate change impact on Seychelles. We are open for all kinds of suggestions from the Seychelles people and government. We believe that: in order to successfully fight climate change, the world needs to unite and work in solidarity,” said Mr Alneyadi before thanking the Seychelles team for the remarkable work they have done so far and recognition they have achieved throughout the years.

“Seychelles as a small island state has really made some remarkable progress and significant achievements in these areas. The approach Seychelles took years back to go greener, towards achieving 15 percent renewable penetration by 2030 and the greater vision of hitting net-zero emissions by 2050, shows that Seychelles is committed and determined to protect the planet from degradation, through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations.

“Together, let’s turn pledges into projects, and let’s turn ambition into action,” concluded Mr Alneyadi.

COP28 is the 28th conference of parties (COP) to be held as part of an international treaty called the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was established at the Earth Summit in Brazil in 1992. Its aim is to tackle the negative impacts human activity has on the environment, especially greenhouse gas emissions.

COP28 is particularly significant because it marks the end of the first ‘global stocktake’, which began at COP26 in Glasgow. Stocktake is a biennial process that occurs every five years. It assesses the collective progress made under the Paris Agreement and identifies areas for additional action and support. Seychelles at previous climate change meetings has underscored that the world is "way off track" in its efforts to limit global warming and that "transformational progress" is needed at COP28 to bring about meaningful change. There is a need to build on the foundation achieved at COP27 and move from goals to getting things done.

Since the lynchpin to all progress across climate pillars is finance, there is an opportunity at COP28 to shape a new financial goal that enables all to chart a new course for greater climate ambition.

The COP28 presidency intends to engage parties throughout COP28 at ministerial, head of delegation and technical levels to lay the ground work needed to deliver a successful COP28 that drives global transformation towards a low-emission and climate-resilient world, fosters ambitious climate action and facilitates implementation, including the related support.

Furthermore, COP28 will host the Global Stocktake, which would likely show that the world was off target to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, which aimed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Therefore, ambitious actions in mitigation and adaptation through fast-track energy and focus on nature, people, lives, and livelihood are needed.

The Seychelles delegation expects COP28 will witness the operationalisation of the loss and damage fund with the right governance and structures in place to target the most vulnerable communities and the creation of a framework for the global goal of adaptation.

Seychelles expects all parties to work in a coherent, transparent and inclusive manner at COP28, in close partnership with the civil society.

For the first time, Seychelles will host a pavilion at the Blue Zone of COP28 where a series of side-events and panel discussions will take place during this period to showcase the country’s climate action and will also hold open consultations on thematic areas, inviting inputs from the broad mix of stakeholders that will attend its side-events.

The theme for the Seychelles pavilion is ‘Build a plan for future generations to thrive and survive’.

Compiled by Gerard Govinden