UNGA78: Dr Sultan Al Jaber at Climate Ambition Summit

UNGA78: Dr Sultan Al Jaber at Climate Ambition Summit

Image credit: WAM

UAE’s Dr Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 President-Designate addressed the UN Climate Ambition Summit in New York where he reminded the international community that “we are not powerless” to overcome the climate crisis and urged the world to “get after gigatons”, as per state news agency WAM.

The summit, which is the landmark climate engagement during United Nations General Assembly and was convened by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, was attended by world leaders, the private sector and civil society.

During his speech, the President-Designate called on the world to be “brave” and “bold” and get “back on track” to meet its climate ambitions, reaffirming the founding principles of the UN and to think “beyond borders, beyond politics, and beyond our own lifetimes.”

He emphasised that “climate change is our common enemy, and we must unite to fight it”.

Dr Al Jaber pointed to recent data from the first Global Stocktake, which confirmed that “the world is falling short, and we are running out of time” but was emphatic in stating that it is not too late to change course.

He challenged the world to respond to the Global Stocktake with the highest levels of ambition, noting that “We know the size of