COP28 is the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties, which is the main decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The UNFCCC was created to address the runaway threat of climate change. The Conference of the Parties (COP) is held annually to discuss and find solutions.
Usually, the presidency and venue of the COP rotate between the five regions recognized by the United Nations; the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Central, Eastern and Western Europe, but this year COP28 is scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates from 30 November to 12 December, and Dubai Expo City has been chosen as the host city.
Expo City Dubai is one of the best places to host a conference of this magnitude, as COP28 and Expo 2020 Dubai have similar goals and missions, including sustainability and promoting international cooperation to address global issues.
The COP28 logo
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, unveiled the COP28 logo on January 16 at the launch of the event during Abu Dhabi Sustainable Development Week at ADNEC.
Inspired by the concept of “one world”, the spherical design of the logo, with shades of light green and dark green, depicts humans, renewable energy technologies, fauna and flora, illustrating the need for innovation for sustainable development.
The logo conveys the message that COP28 will be a COP of action that will contribute to progress on mitigation, adaptation, financing and damage.
According to the vision of Dr Sultan Al Jaber, President-elect of COP28 and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technologies, “we live in one world, a world where we must collaborate and cooperate like never before to achieve the transformational progress needed to achieve the Paris Agreement”.
For each session of the Conference of the Parties, the Minister of the Environment of the host Government shall preside. Therefore, for COP28 in Dubai, Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri will hold the position of President.
The UAE’s position as host of COP28 in 2023 reflects the country’s efforts to transition to an economy that uses renewable and clean energy, technological advancements and climate-smart solutions. The conference will focus on the economic case for climate action.
In addition, the UAE considers hosting COP28 a privilege and a recognition of the country’s environmental efforts over the past three decades.
Climate change has been a priority for the UAE since 1989, when the Gulf country ratified the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. The United Arab Emirates became a member of the UNFCCC in 1995 and ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2005.
