UAE commits support to global efforts for funding climate action

Dr Amna Bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, led the UAE delegation to the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, where she underscored the nation’s commitment to accelerating global climate action, mobilizing innovative financing mechanisms, and forging inclusive international partnerships.

While delivering the country statement, Dr. Al Dahak underscored the UAE’s key role within the COP Presidencies Troika, reiterating the nation’s full support for Brazil’s COP30 Presidency.

The minister stated: “We are working hand-in-hand with our partners to ensure that the ambitious pathway shaped in Dubai through the historic UAE Consensus, and strengthened further in Baku, now reaches Belém as a springboard for establishing long-term, sustainable principles for global climate action.”

 Dr Al Dahak reaffirmed the UAE’s steadfast commitment to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, adding: “The UAE continues to lead global efforts to triple renewable energy capacity and enhance full transparency in emissions reporting to help meet global climate goals. We firmly believe that protecting nature and biodiversity is inseparable from climate action. This is why our National Biodiversity Strategy 2031 sets out ambitious targets from protecting our terrestrial and marine areas to bolstering the population of endangered species.” She continued: “With half of our 100-million-mangrove target already achieved, and by spearheading international partnerships such as the MAC (Mangrove Alliance for Climate) with Indonesia, we affirm that nature protection is a fundamental pillar of our national and global policy, a principle underscored by our recent hosting of the IUCN World Conservation Congress.”

Dr Al Dahak called for aligning global efforts around three key priorities, these include raising ambition through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs); advancing tangible climate adaptation; and expanding financing for countries through innovative mechanisms such as the ALTÉRRA fund, launched with a commitment of US$30 billion by the UAE at COP28. She also highlighted the UAE’s strong focus on water security, noting the importance of initiatives such as the Mohammed bin Zayed Water Initiative, which seeks sustainable solutions to global water scarcity. She underscored the UAE’s role as a principal partner in global water efforts through its co-hosting of the United Nations Water Conference 2026 alongside the Republic of Senegal.

Dr Al Dahak participated in the Ministerial Roundtable: Delivery of the Global Cooling Pledge, highlighting the rapid transition of the Pledge from commitment to concrete implementation, now supported by 72 countries.

She welcomed the key outcomes of the roundtable, including the formal establishment of the Intergovernmental Committee on Cooling (IGCC) and the operationalisation of the EPIC Facility as a crucial financial and technical mechanism. She stressed the fact that the UAE has integrated sustainable cooling into its NDCs and that collective global action in this sector could reduce emissions by up to 78 billion tonnes by 2050.

Mohammed Saeed Al Nuaimi, Undersecretary of MOCCAE, participated in several high-level sessions during COP30.

Speaking at the ministerial meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change, Al Nuaimi showcased the UAE’s model, stating: “The UAE’s approach is rooted in a unique balance of national ambition and innovation. This approach is built on extensive collaboration and coordination through the UAE Council for Climate Action, which brings together stakeholders from government and the private sectors.”

 Al Nuaimi said this structure ensures that national strategies such as the UAE Net Zero 2050 Strategy and the National Energy Strategy 2050 translate into tangible, city-level implementation plans that address local realities and drive progress towards national targets.

During the High-Level Closing Plenary - Mutirão for Multilevel Climate Action Ministerial Meeting on Urbanisation and Climate Change, Al Nuaimi stressed that climate ambition can only have real impact when translated into coordinated action and shared responsibility across all levels of society. He highlighted the UAE model, which balances national goals with local innovation, anchored in both the UAE Council for Climate Action and the UAE Council for Environmental and Municipal Work. This framework ensures that major national strategies, including the Net Zero strategy, are transformed into actionable local plans that position cities as essential partners in the national sustainability agenda.

Al Nuaimi also joined the session on Nature and Climate Action: Conserving Tropical Forests, hosted at the Indonesia Pavilion. He emphasised that forests are the ‘lungs of the Earth’ and the frontline defence against climate change, given their essential role in carbon absorption and ecosystem balance. He reiterated the UAE’s steadfast support for global efforts to protect forests and halt deforestation as a cornerstone of achieving Net Zero and safeguarding the planet’s ecosystems.

As part of COP30’s ministerial dialogues, Dr. Alanoud Alhaj, Acting Assistant Undersecretary of Green Development and Climate Change at MOCCAE, participated in three major sessions focused on adaptation, just transition, and the green economy.

In the ministerial dialogue on Adaptation, She highlighted that the UAE Framework for Global Climate Adaptation, endorsed at COP28, positioned adaptation as a top priority. Dr. Alhaj cautioned about the high cost of inaction, noting that insufficient adaptation financing could cost the global economy up to 22% of GDP. She outlined the UAE’s national experience, including the Adaptation Finance Capacity Assessment (AFCA), which identifies investment gaps and opportunities, and emphasised the role of the ALTÉRRA Fund in de-risking adaptation projects to attract private-sector investment.

WAM