COP28 host UAE vows ‘inclusive roadmap’ for UN climate talks

COP28 host UAE vows ‘inclusive roadmap’ for UN climate talks

DUBAI: The Emirati oil chief leading this year’s UN climate talks said Tuesday he will introduce an “inclusive” plan for the meeting in Dubai, amid criticism by activists over his appointment. Rights group Amnesty International has said Sultan Al-Jaber is “unfit” for the COP28 presidency, being the CEO of state-owned oil giant ADNOC, while Western officials have defended his role in the crucial talks set for November and December.

Al-Jaber told the annual World Government Summit event in Dubai that as “president, I will lay out a roadmap for COP28 that is inclusive, results-oriented and… very far from business as usual”. The 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the UNFCCC will convene from 30 November to 12 December 2023. It will take place in the United Arab Emirates.

“We will capitalize on our experience and our network of partners to engage with governments, civil society, youth, the financial community, industry and technology companies,” added Al-Jaber, the oil-rich United Arab Emirates’ special envoy for climate change. In a statement on Monday, Amnesty’s climate director Marta Schaaf said Al-Jaber’s role at ADNOC made him “unfit to lead COP28”.

“Sultan Al-Jaber cannot be an honest broker for climate talks when the company