The UAE concluded its successful participation at COP29, highlighting its ongoing commitment to global climate action and the COP28 legacy.

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended the opening of the World Climate Action Summit. The UAE delegation engaged proactively across the conference, including the COP Presidency handover to Azerbaijan on the first day, participation in plenaries, high-level dialogues, and presentations at the UAE Pavilion under the theme “Accelerating Action Together”.

Building on the achievements of the COP28 Presidency, the UAE remains committed to playing an effective and ambitious role as a global steward in climate action. Throughout COP29, the UAE has proudly demonstrated its unwavering dedication to fostering sustainable and impactful environmental initiatives worldwide.

“Climate action has been embedded in the UAE since its inception. The unprecedented achievements at COP28 and the UAE Consensus contributed the roadmap for how climate needs to be prioritised. Global cooperation and collaboration are central to climate action and we will continue to promote the value of the Consensus sighed by 198 nations in Dubai. The legacy is an enduring one thanks to Dr Sultan al Jaber and the COP28 team whose presidency year was exemplary for its many achievements,” said Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability.

“Congratulations to Azerbaijan for hosting the event and convening the world at COP to maintain dialogue and focus on the critical climate issues of our time. During the conference, notable progress was made in multiple areas, including the operationalisation of the Loss & Damage Fund which has now amassed $850 million. COP29 has also demonstrated the significant technological progress achieved, highlighting innovative new tools can realize a future where the climate issues of today become the climate opportunities of tomorrow. As we look forward to both COP16 in Riyadh and COP30 in Belém, we commit to greater global alignment, cooperation, implementation, and solutions-identification.”

The UAE was represented at COP29 by a delegation of over 1,000 including ministers from ministries and departments from the COP28 team, the Presidential Court, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Health and Prevention. The delegation included several key figures in UAE climate action, among them H.H. Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention;Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment; Mariam bint Mohammed AlMheiri, Head of the Office of International Affairs at the Presidential Court;H.H. Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, CEO of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA); Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, Razan Al Mubarak, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28.

During the two weeks, the UAE Pavilion – staffed by a dedicated team of guest experience ambassadors – saw thousands of Blue Zone attendees visit and participate in discussions and tours. This included representatives from Africa50, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Boston Consulting Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, BlackRock, Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission, FAB, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, HSBC, the International Energy Agency, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Kenya, UICCA, the United Nations, and USAID.

The many initiatives launched or updated during the conference include the operational launch of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), the establishment of the Global Energy Efficiency Alliance, and the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate), led by the UAE and the USA, which announced additional investment commitments totalling $29.2 billion, along with 129 Innovation Sprints and over 800 global partners. Other notable initiatives included the launch of AIM for Scale, the world’s first ChatGPT tool for the agricultural community, the launch of Chapter Zero UAE, and the signing of a 2-GW solar project in Saudi Arabia by the Masdar-led consortium in partnership with the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC). Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan Al Nahyan was appointed Chair of the Waste to Zero initiative, while Masdar also signed a power purchase agreement with the Financial Settlement Centre for Renewable Energy Sources Support LLP for a wind farm in Kazakhstan. The Pavilion was proudly used as a platform for multiple Memorandum of Understanding signings.

The UAE proudly signed declarations related to key climate priorities, including the COP29 Truce Appeal, the Global Energy Storage and Grids Pledge, the Green Energy Pledge, the Green Energy Zones and Corridors, the Hydrogen Declaration, the Declaration on Green Digital Action, the Declaration on Reducing Methane from Organic Waste, the Multisectoral Actions Pathways (MAP) Declaration for Resilient and Healthy Cities, and the Declaration on Water for Climate Action.

The UAE Pavilion also hosted insightful discussions across 62 programmes, reflecting a shared commitment to co-creating solutions for building climate resilience around the world, particularly in the most challenged areas. The programmes featured over 255 diverse speakers, including UAE diplomats and representatives, climate experts, government officials, private sector leaders, academics, and youth. International thought leaders and COP29 participants attended to exchange ideas, engage in thoughtful dialogues, and share global perspectives on current critical climate matters.

With global convening conversations partner, Goals House, the National Media Office's UAE/Climate initiative hosted two additional programmes at Goals House: a climate finance roundtable, led by ALTERRA CEO Majid Al Suwaidi, and attended by representatives from EY, Rockefeller Foundation, and Gates Foundation, as well as COP28 youth delegates, climate finance leaders, private sector representatives, and philanthropists. The UAE also hosted a discussion on “Securing Tomorrow: Accelerating Action for Water Resiliency for All”, emphasising the critical role of water as the foundation of development and life. Shaima Gargash, Director of Energy & Sustainability, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led the conversation, with participation from Gary White of Water.Org, Kevin Rabinovitch of Mars, and Adam Elman from Google.

The UAE’s vital climate action work continues with Global Food Week in Abu Dhabi (26-28 November), where food security for global transformation will be discussed by national and international partners to highlight building secure, sustainable food systems. The following week, the UAE Climate team will be on the ground again, this time at COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.