Abu Dhabi - MENA Herald: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, French Foreign Minister and COP 21 President Laurent Fabius, and UAE Minister of State and Special Envoy for Climate Change Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber announced today that a special high-level event will be held on 18 January 2016 at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), the world’s largest annual gathering in sustainability and renewable energy.
“Abu Dhabi Global Action Day” at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week will aim to turn the ambitious goals of COP 21, the Paris Climate Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into practical and innovative policy, investment, technology and partnership solutions. The Abu Dhabi event will build on the momentum for climate action that was generated from the successful outcome of the Paris Conference.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is the first major international gathering following the adoption of the historic ‘Paris Agreement’ on climate change. It will serve as a pivotal platform to turn political commitments into practical action. I welcome the UAE’s leadership in sustaining the political momentum from Paris to achieve a better future for people and our planet.”
The event will take stock of COP 21 outcomes – with a particular focus on identifying pre-2020 actions that can be taken by both the public and private sectors, reflecting ADSW’s role as a platform for launching new technologies, policies, and financing approaches. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and H.E. Laurent Fabius will attend the event, along with ministers from Morocco and high-level representatives from the private sectors, as well as the UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres.
"The Paris Agreement was widely welcomed as an ambitious and historic outcome. We now need to quickly shift to implementation. The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week will play an important role in this regard, as it has the convening power to pinpoint solutions from both those inside and outside the negotiation process," said COP 21 President Fabius. “As President of the COP until November 2016, I will continue to encourage all stakeholders to engage and commit to strong climate action.”
The Abu Dhabi Global Action Day was a result of various high-level consultations at COP21 between the United Nations, the United Arab Emirates and France.
"The UAE is committed to driving forward the path to a sustainable future through diversifying our economy," said H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change. “We welcome our partners to Abu Dhabi and look forward to identifying areas of collaboration and encouraging solutions to commercialise new technologies that address climate change.”
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week will gather over 30,000 delegates, including thought leaders, policymakers and investors from more than 160 countries to address the challenges of renewable energy and sustainable development. The forum, to be held on January 16-23, is hosted by Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company.
