UAE’s 52nd Union Day gift to the world at COP28: $250 million to address water security and nature preservation

UAE’s 52nd Union Day gift to the world at COP28: $250 million to address water security and nature preservation

Dubai: The UAE’s $250 million pledge on its 52nd Union Day on Saturday, in two separate announcements made at COP28, will have a significant impact on addressing water security and nature preservation.

At the World Climate Action Summit on Health, Nature, Water and Energy, the UAE announced a $100m grant finance as part of a $1 billion global fund committed under a new Nature Finance Hub launched at the summit.

During the segment on water, the UAE pledged $150 million in new funding for water security solutions in fragile and vulnerable communities. The COP Presidency had elevated water as one of the key priority areas for the conference. The COP28 Water Agenda has three thematic priority areas which are freshwater ecosystems, urban water resilience, and water-resilient food systems.

Most water-scarce region

While announcing the fund, Ahmed bin Ali Al Sayegh, UAE Minister of State, recalled how his generation grew up without running water and how his father’s generation imported water from across the region to survive.

Al Sayegh making the announcement on Saturday at COP28

Image Credit: Screengrab/YouTube

“We must acknowledge that COP28 takes place in one of the world’s most water-scarce regions. The UAE and its neighbours in the MENA region