UAE sends high-level delegation to Cop31 climate summit in Turkey

Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, arrived in Antalya, Turkey, on Wednesday as head of a high-level UAE delegation attending the Cop31 climate summit. Sheikh Saud is representing President Sheikh Mohamed at the two-day Leaders' Summit, which is being held on November 11 and 12 as part of the wider conference, which runs until November 20. He was received at Antalya Airport by Saeed Thani Al Dhaheri, the UAE's ambassador to Turkey, alongside several senior Turkish officials.

The summit, held under the theme “Towards a Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Future”, brings together heads of state and government to strengthen international co-operation on climate change, accelerate the implementation of climate commitments and advance the goals of the Paris Agreement. The UAE's participation builds on its legacy as host of Cop28 in Dubai in 2023, where the landmark UAE Consensus was reached. That agreement called for a just, orderly and equitable transition from fossil fuels, tripling global renewable energy capacity and doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.

Cop28 also led to the initiation of the Fund for Loss and Damage and the adoption of the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience. Cop31, hosted by Turkey from November 9-20, will centre on translating climate pledges into practical and measurable action. The conference focuses on clean energy transition, energy security, emissions reduction, climate finance and adaptation, with the aim of accelerating global climate action and supporting sustainable development worldwide.

Negotiations are being presided over by Australia, which alongside the host country has proposed a “35 by 35” global target of 35 per cent of total energy consumption being provided by electricity by 2035. The World Meteorological Organisation recently announced that in 2025 the average concentration in the surface atmosphere of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, was 426.8 parts per million (ppm), 53 per cent higher than before the large-scale burning of fossil fuels began.

Between 2011 and 2020, the concentration rose by 2.4 ppm per year on average, three times the annual increase during the 1960s. Alongside Sheikh Saud, who is also a Supreme Council member, the UAE delegation includes Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, Minister of Culture; Khalifa Al Marar, Minister of State; and Dr Amna Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, along with a number of senior officials.