The UAE and the United Nations announced on Monday that a 2-day high level meeting will be held in Abu Dhabi on May 4-5 to encourage greater action and ambition by world leaders at the Secretary General’s Climate Summit in September.
The 2-day meeting, called the “Abu Dhabi Ascent”, will assemble government ministers as well as leaders from the business, finance, and civil society. It is anticipated that the meeting will develop a range of proposals and actions that will broaden partnerships and deliver concrete action at the Climate Summit in September.
According to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, “This meeting is a critical milepost on the way that will help build the momentum we need for a successful Climate Summit. I look forward to working with all leaders to ensure that the Summit catalyzes major steps on the ground and towards an ambitious global climate agreement.”
Fresh on the heels of hosting a successful World Future Energy Summit and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, UAE Minister of State and Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber noted, “The United Arab Emirates is at the forefront of international efforts to mitigate climate change. As a key mitigation strategy, the UAE has made significant investments to develop and deploy clean energy technologies globally.”
The Climate Summit will be held on September 23, 2014 at the UN Headquarters in New York, one day before the UN General Assembly begins its General Debate. The Secretary-General has encouraged leaders to bring bold announcements to address climate change.
Walter Wang is an energy tax policy expert and managing editor of CleanTechies. A list of his publications can be found here. Follow Walter on Twitter: @energytaxprof
