In New York on September 24th, 2023, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, urged nations to seize the significant opportunity presented by COP28 in the UAE to advance climate action. She emphasized the importance of focusing on food systems transformation and nature-based solutions during her high-level meetings at the 78th United Nations General Assembly.
Almheiri, also the COP28 Food Systems Lead, highlighted the UAE’s commitment to sustainable global food systems and announced the Mangroves Ministerial to be hosted at COP28 to promote nature-based solutions.
During a Ministerial Panel Discussion on High Impact Initiative Food Systems organized by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), she discussed the key domains of the COP28 Food Systems and Agriculture Agenda and invited countries to sign the Emirates Declaration on Food Systems, Agriculture, and Climate Action.
Almheiri reiterated the UAE’s dedication to nature-based solutions at the ‘Nature and People (HAC): From Ambition to Action’ event and endorsed the Mangrove Breakthrough, emphasizing its role in achieving the Paris Agreement goals.
She called on all nations to endorse the Mangrove Breakthrough and participate in the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC), a partnership between the UAE and Indonesia.
Speaking at the ‘Food+ Forum: Foreign Policy,’ Almheiri stressed the need for collective innovation and global finance to address global hunger and establish sustainable food systems, inviting nations to join AIM for Climate, a climate-smart agriculture initiative co-led by the UAE and the USA.
Throughout the week, Almheiri engaged in successful bilateral meetings with leaders from Belgium, Germany, and Israel, fostering collaborations for climate action and highlighting the UAE’s commitment to a sustainable future through innovation and cooperation on the global stage.
(Courtesy WAM)
