UAE puts trade at center of climate debate during COP28’s Trade Day

UAE puts trade at center of climate debate during COP28’s Trade Day

DUBAI - Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, has welcomed policymakers, thought leaders, senior officials from international organizations and representatives of leading global businesses to Trade Day at COP28, the first ever day dedicated to trade at a Conference of the Parties and recognition of the role the global trading community can play in the ongoing climate discussions. Trade Day featured a number of important panel sessions on a wide range of issues, from energy transition, emerging technology and the growing funding and trade finance gaps, particularly in the developing world. Ahead of the opening session, “Global leaders Unite to Promote a Roadmap of Trade Policy Options for a Just and Ambitious Global Response to Climate Change”, HE Dr Thani offered a keynote speech contextualizing the importance of trade to the COP28 agenda before introducing a panel that included Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Rebecca Grynspan, Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and John W. Denton AO, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce and HE Ahmed Bin Sulayem. During Trade Day, His Excellency also offered keynote addresses on supply-chain resilience, and took