COP28 will be held November 30-December 12 at the Dubai Expo Center in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). COP28 is already shaping up to be one of the most impactful U.N. climate meetings, with newly appointed COP28 President-Designate H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber recently calling for the upcoming COP to “move from goals to getting it done.” We believe this will be a pragmatic, practical COP focused on achieving progress, with private sector partnerships welcomed.
The Chamber team has been working with the US and UAE governments to help ensure that private sector solutions are front and center at COP28. Stay tuned to this page as the year goes on for updates on our work.
GreenTech Business Delegation to the UAE
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently concluded its GreenTech Business Mission to the United Arab Emirates ahead of COP28 in Dubai this November. The purpose of the GreenTech mission was to connect leading U.S. businesses with potential investment opportunities in the UAE and to learn about plans and priorities for COP28. Over 127 delegates from 68 businesses participated in the mission, ranging from startups to multinational corporations.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
In January, at the request of UAE officials, the US Chamber convened a high-level roundtable discussion among US and UAE officials and the private sector focused on the Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE), an initiative announced in November 2022 that aims to catalyze $100 billion in financing, investment, and other support to deploy 100 new gigawatts (GW) of clean energy by 2035. The discussion was headlined by the co-chairs of the PACE Experts Group, H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber and Amos Hochstein, U.S. Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security. Following their remarks, the deputy co-chairs -- H.E. Majid Al Suwaidi, Special Advisor to the COP28 President-Designate; and, David Livingston, Senior Advisor and Managing Director for Clean Energy in the Office of the U.S. Special President Envoy for Climate – continued the conversation with executives from approximately 20 major U.S. companies.
The PACE initiative represents a shared commitment by two major energy producing countries to a swift, responsible and ambitious energy transition. This was the first meeting of the Expert Group formed by the two countries.
The following day, Chamber SVP of Policy Marty Durbin signed a MOU with Her Highness Sheikha Shamma and her Climate Change Accelerators program. Knowing the business community is critical to developing and deploying the innovative technologies and systems that will help achieve our shared climate ambitions, we will work with Her Highness and the UICCA to identify innovators and companies in the US when they visit several US cities late next month. This partnership can create meaningful opportunities for U.S. companies to develop new relationships in the UAE and together help drive climate solutions. Stay tuned for more information.
Road to COP28 Event
The U.S. Chamber organized a Road to COP28 event hosted by Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President and CEO of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), at her home. The Chamber team was joined by His Excellency Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi, Special Advisor to the COP28 President-Designate, for a discussion with U.S. Chamber member companies. The UAE officials made clear they value the investments businesses are making to develop and implement climate solutions. While in Abu Dhabi, the Chamber delegation also visited with Mohammed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar -- a leading developer of renewable energy and sustainable urban projects globally -- to discuss opportunities for collaboration with U.S. businesses.
