New Delhi: Amid geopolitical uncertainties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a visit to UAE on Thursday to attend the World Climate Action Summit starting 30 Nov-1 Dec.
Ahead of the visit, India's former ambassador to Libya, and Jordan, Anil Trigunayat, who has also served as Director General/Joint Secretary for the Gulf and Haj Divisions in the Ministry of External Affairs, said the visit will enable assessment of regional developments with other leaders on the sidelines.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Trigunayat said,” UAE is India's closest strategic partner in the region. PM Modi during his last one-day visit extended the fullest support to UAE's COP28 especially its chair who was under a lot of criticism. India attaches great importance to the fight against Climate change and has come up with several initiatives. The visit will also enable assessment of regional developments with other leaders on the sidelines”.
Meanwhile, according to documents published on Monday by the Centre for Climate Reporting, UAE is using its position as the host country of the COP28 United Nations climate talks to pursue oil and gas deals with several other countries, which is receiving criticism from the global community.
In fact, the climate summit will be the first global assessment of progress since the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015, which set a goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), while aiming for a cap of 1.5C. It is pertinent to note that during India's recently concluded presidency of the G20, leaders agreed to pursue tripling renewable energy capacity globally by 2030 and accepted the need to phase down unabated coal power.
Apart from India, China, the US, the UK, the EU, and African countries are some of the main players who will be taking part in the COP28 starting Nov 30 in Dubai. The World Climate Action Summit is the High-Level Segment of the 28th Conference of Parties (COP-28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). COP-28 is being held from 28 November to 12 December 2023 under the Presidency of the UAE.
The Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC provides a unique opportunity to impart momentum for collective action towards combating the shared challenge of climate change. During COP-26 in Glasgow, Prime Minister Modi announced five specific targets, titled "Panchamrit”, as India’s unprecedented contribution to climate action.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister had also announced Mission Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) on the occasion. Climate change has been an important priority area of India’s G20 Presidency, and significant new steps have been captured in the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration and other outcomes during our Presidency. COP-28 will provide an opportunity to take forward these successes. During his visit, the Prime Minister is also slated to hold bilateral meetings with some of the Leaders participating in the Summit.
Also read: COP28 UAE: Why study of oceanic sediments helps in climate change mitigation
