EBN- The 2023 edition of the UN climate summit, COP28, kicked off on Thursday in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The event is attracting over 180 heads of states and governments from across the globe. Noteworthy is the substantial number of attendance requests, exceeding 500,000 participants.
The conference is set to continue until Dec. 12.
Sultan Al Jaber, the Emirati industry and technology minister, officially received the COP28 presidency from Sameh Shoukry, Egypt’s foreign minister and president of COP27.
In his opening speech, Al Jaber said: “The UAE takes pride in hosting COP28 and approaches it with a full understanding of the critical issues at this pivotal juncture.”
He further pledged to “manage a working system that applies transparency principles, ensures inclusivity, and encourages free and open discussions among all parties.”
He also invited participants to “start the conference with a different mindset and to adopt an innovative and non-traditional approach to thinking.”
Human rights campaigners earlier called for removing Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber from his role as president of the UN climate summit.
Al-Jaber is the chief executive of ADNOC, one of the world’s largest oil and gas producers.
According to Amnesty International, Al-Jaber plans to increase the group’s production of fossil fuels. He is entirely incompatible with his role as president-designate of COP28.
