Global officials commended the first ever Middle East and North Africa Climate Week (MENA Climate Week) organized from 28 to 31 March 2022 in Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. The event achieved remarkable success and gained widespread praise from prominent institutions and figures concerned with climate action around the world.

The event was hosted by the UAE Government, represented by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO), and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), in collaboration with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Bank Group. It was supported by regional partners, including the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the League of Arab States Secretariat, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA), and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).

“The MENA Climate Week has brought together a diverse group of governments, investment firms, universities, and others, aligning with our vision to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event serves as an ideal platform to highlight and address major climate change issues. The upcoming COP27 will be held in Egypt in November, following other summits that agreed to uphold the provisions of the Paris Agreement (COP21). Despite the current state of international uncertainty and confusion, the next summit is expected to implement these provisions effectively. We strongly believe it’s time for countries to fulfil the promises and pledges they made in accordance with the scientific report of the Mutual Government Committee, particularly in light of the Paris Agreement’s goals for limiting carbon emissions. The world calls for more investments to limit these emissions and efforts must be made in this regard, as the repercussions of drought, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires are becoming more tangible." preprocess

Key Recommendations of MENA Climate Week

      Reaffirm our continued commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially SDG13 to address climate change.

        Call on all stakeholders to continue providing a constant, multi-sectorial and multi-layered assistance towards achieving our carbon neutral targets, which can contribute to the creation of sustainable economies, increased employment, social security and prosperity.

       Invite development partners and the private sector to continue contributing significantly to the sectoral transformations mainly in the energy, urban infrastructure and transport sectors with the view to approach these transformations as opportunities for sustainable and inclusive economic development.

       Commit to keep the issue of gender equality and the full participation of the youth central to the development and delivery of activities, including in policy development to combat climate change.

      While recognizing the urgent need of climate finance being made available for mitigation but also for adaptation purpose, there is urgency for national governments to establish policies and regulatory frameworks to de-risk private sector investments, to mobilize finances and to guide investors

        Recommend the international community that when setting the new collective quantified goal on climate finance, important consideration should be given to the quantity of climate finance in a manner that addresses the needs and priorities of developing countries, but also to the quality of finance to ensure climate finance is accessible.

        Encourage national governments and development partners to align their interventions, combine their efforts and initiatives and ensure a whole-of-society inclusive approach with meaningful multi-stakeholder engagement for climate action, including civil society, the private sector and academia.

      Recommend that the planning and development of long-term low emission development strategies which currently largely involves the Ministries of Environment and/or Climate Change is extended Ministries of Economy, Finance, Energy and others to truly unlock the potential of this process and consider the establishment of macro- economic roadmaps of just transition and accompanying policy options, involving all relevant Ministries and breaking down silos.

        Recommend that proper consideration is given to just transition and long-term planning as it goes beyond more than simply energy transition.  It is a holistic approach to the transition of societies and economies and must be approached as such, by considering and implementing planning through a cross-sectoral, economy-wide approach, with mutli-stakeholder engagement.

        Encourage the incoming Presidency of COP27 and the Government of the United Arab Emirates as future host of COP 28 to take note of the outcomes of the MENA Climate Week which will be presented to them in the coming weeks with the request to consider them and to advance negotiations in particular in the areas of adaptation, mitigation and climate finance.

       Encourage the incoming and future Presidencies of COPs to shift the focus of the negotiations to making implementation of the Paris Agreement, ensuring it becomes a cornerstone of future mandates and decisions.