It was stated by Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, in a speech delivered on his behalf by Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Jarman, UAE’s permanent envoy to the United Nations, at an international meeting organised by the General Assembly about climate change.
Shaikh Abdullah expressed his deep gratitude and appreciation for the secretary -general’s efforts in directing the work of this important meeting and commended him for his endeavours and efforts to mobilise the international efforts for taking the necessary steps to deal with the challenges of climate change which are becoming a real threat to humanity and future generations.
Shaikh Abdullah, in his statement, commended the expert group on climate change for providing valuable information on this serious phenomenon.
“The UAE’s concern about climate change is not new. It is a continuation of the convictions of the founder of the UAE and its first president the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who had recognised many decades ago the importance of protecting and preserving the environment.
Acting out of the same convictions, the UAE adopted in 2002 the National Environment Strategy and its plan of action, which considers conservation and protection of the environment as one of the main pillars to the achievement of sustainable development, and ensured the integration of environment dimension in all aspects of development activities,” Shaikh Abdullah observed.
“The UAE recognises the scope and seriousness of the challenges emanating from the climate change, and the threat they pose to peace, security and stability in many countries, especially the developing states.
With a firm belief that dealing with those challenges requires global partnership and effective cooperation between developed and developing countries, the UAE was very keen on acceding and committing to all international and regional treaties and protocols on environment and sustainable development, in addition to taking effective initiatives in sponsoring and supporting international activities in these fields, especially those related to climate change,” he said.
“I am glad to share with you the UAE’s experience and participation in the international efforts to deal with climate change phenomenon as demonstrated through the launch of an initiative to establish a new economic sector focusing on alternative permanent energy sources called Massdar programme,” Shaikh Abdullah said.
“It is intended to assist in guiding and diversifying the economy and maintaining stability in the international energy market, transference to Massdar for technology and contributing in sustainable human development through technology transfer, human resources and infrastructure.”
