Petersberg Climate Dialogue: High-Level Champion sets out ambitious vision for COP28

Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the COP28 Presidency has underlined the significant work non-party stakeholders are doing to accelerate progress towards a net zero and resilient world by 2050.

During her opening address to government ministers and representatives at the 14th Petersberg Climate Dialogue held in Berlin, Al Mubarak outlined the ambitious vision shared by Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin, fellow High-Level Champion for COP27 for non-party stakeholder action and engagement ahead of COP28.

The Petersberg Climate Dialogue was convened by the German government to lay the groundwork ahead of the UN’s Climate Change Conference, COP28. COP28 will take place at Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023.

The UN Climate Change High-Level Champions engage non-State actors to support governments in delivering the goals of the Paris Agreement. Working with the Marrakech Partnership – a global alliance of more than 320 major initiatives and coalitions – the High-Level Champions enhance the ambition of cities, regions, businesses and investors and other non-State actors, to collectively race towards a fair, resilient and zero carbon world.

Al Mubarak said: “To really mobilise change this year, three of the most powerful things we can do is to embrace nature positive action, mobilise finance at scale, and be truly inclusive – ensuring that women, youth and Indigenous peoples are leading our discussions. This decade, we must reverse biodiversity loss, halve emissions, enhance adaptation and advance equity simultaneously. There is no Paris Agreement without protecting nature.”

With six months until the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) climate summit in Dubai, Al Mubarak underlined how leadership and solutions from non-party stakeholders are already driving significant climate action in all sectors, and amongst all groups of actors, and delivering tangible and measurable progress on decarbonisation as well as adaptation and financial flows.

For example, the approximately 11,000 members in Race to Zero are committed to collectively halve emissions by 2030. Likewise commitments to date made through the Race to Resilience aim to make 3 billion people more resilient by the end of the decade.

Similarly, the 2030 Breakthroughs, the Breakthrough Agenda and the Sharm El Sheikh Adaptation Agenda – all welcomed by parties in the COP27 Decision – together with the Marrakesh Partnership Climate Action Pathways – provide a roadmap of milestones and actions needed this decade to get on track  to deliver our goals.

The Sharm El Sheikh Adaptation Agenda seeks to accelerate adaptation action across five systems: food and agriculture, water, oceans, human settlements and infrastructure. It also aims to bring forward many proven solutions, for example mangrove restoration, urban greening, resilient agriculture and early warning systems.

Similarly, the 2030 Breakthroughs are driving convergence and action in nearly 30 different sectors from human settlements to transport; from water to land use.

The Global Stocktake was a key political theme of the Dialogue which Al Mubarak underlined as a chance for everyone to maximise ambition. She said: “We have a unique opportunity with the Global Stocktake to put action and solutions at the heart of our discussions and to identify challenges and opportunities – and to explore how we can measure ourselves annually against clear sectoral goals, which could be a clear cut and impactful move in the right direction.”

This year’s COP28 President designate, Dr Sultan Al Jaber and the Youth Climate Champion, Ms Shamma Al Mazrui also launched their vision for the upcoming conference in December.

 

 

 

 

Al Jaber said, “We want COP28 to be remembered for uniting everyone in action. Working with Razan Al Mubarak, COP28 will be a space for innovative solutions for nature including the protection of natural carbon sinks, ensuring biodiversity, and helping preserve natural ecosystems. We will also enable youth participation, particularly from small island states and the least developed countries. This needs to be accompanied by ambitious, transparent, and accountable commitments from countries and non-state actors that will shape policies in parliaments and budgets in boardrooms. Let’s turn passion into pragmatic solutions to deliver an ambitious agenda and a practical action plan for 2030. In a pragmatic, just and well managed energy transition, we must be laser focused on phasing out fossil fuel emissions, while phasing up viable, affordable zero carbon alternatives. We know that the energies used today will continue to be part of the global energy mix for the foreseeable future. As such, we will work with the world to decarbonise the current energy system while we build a new one, capable of transitioning even the most heavy-emitting industries.”

Al Mazrui said, “Youth have always been at the forefront of change, driving groundbreaking social, economic, and environmental progress. The same holds true for the urgent climate action needed to address the pressing challenges we face today. With the clock ticking on the climate crisis, we cannot afford to ignore the voices and perspectives of young people. I am very proud that this is the first year with a strong youth presence at the all important Petersberg Dialogue where the high-level brainstorming for COP begins. Three of the UAE’s Youth Climate Delegates are attending alongside representatives from YOUNGO, the UNFCCC Youth Constituency, marking a milestone on the road to creating more meaningful opportunities for young people to participate in negotiations. As was emphasised by His Excellency Dr Sultan, this is a process I hope to see not just at COP28, but institutionalised for all future COPs.”