Dr Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber speaks during a meeting.

The COP28 UAE Presidency and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have convened the first in a landmark series of high-level dialogues through to COP28 around building a 1.5°C-aligned energy transition. The initiative is being carried out in collaboration with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and will be supported by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The dialogues are intended to build consensus on 1.5°C-compatible energy transition pathways and the enabling conditions needed to achieve them, as well as momentum around the target energy outcomes for COP28.

The meetings are being co-chaired by COP28 President-Designate Dr Sultan Al Jaber and Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA. The aim is to engage public- and private-sector decision-makers in the energy industry to produce a holistic, global view of the energy system.

The dialogues will prepare the ground for specific commitments and calls-to-action at the World Climate Action Summit being held at COP28.

The session was held on Friday, 21st July on the sidelines of the 14th Clean Energy Ministerial, alongside the G20 Energy Transitions Ministerial Meeting in Goa, India. Delegates at the meeting included various country delegates and private sector representatives.

Dr. Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President-Designate, said of the initiative, “COP28 represents a milestone opportunity for the world to come together, unite around decisive action, and drive progress towards keeping the goals of the Paris Agreement alive and 1.5°C within reach. This will require a collective effort and so we need everyone at the table - and that includes the energy industry.

“Building a new energy system can only happen at speed and scale with united action on the supply and the demand sides together. These high-level dialogues are bringing public- and private-sector energy decision-makers together under the framework of a COP for the first time. They will help redesign the relationship between policymakers, the biggest energy producers, and the biggest industrial consumers. This is one of my Presidency’s key priorities and will be a crucial step in building consensus on how best to deliver the energy system of the future.”

IEA Executive Director Dr. Fatih Birol said, “The IEA has put forward a comprehensive energy package that can help make COP28 a success.

WAM