Cop28 President Dr Sultan Al Jaber met Britain's King Charles III in London on Friday as preparations step up for the next crunch talks on climate change.
King Charles, a lifelong environmentalist, hosted representatives of the UAE, this year's summit host Azerbaijan and next year's host Brazil as the UK looks to regain influence on the global stage.
Dr Al Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, is working in a “troika” with Azerbaijan and Brazil to build on what was agreed in Dubai last year.
The three hosts are urging countries to make their next green policy plans “truly transformational” as a 2025 deadline to update them looms.
They warn of “clear challenges” unless countries have the money to go green, with the thorny issue of finance set to dominate Cop29 in Azerbaijan.
The troika is “designed to maintain momentum, lock in continuity, anchor implementation and build a bridge of progress between Cops”, said the UAE's Cop28 team after the meeting with King Charles.
Cop29 President-designate Mukhtar Babayev was in London for the Clarence House talks, with Brazil represented by Ana Toni, its National Secretary for Climate Change.
Britain, which hosted Cop26 in 2021 but watered down its own net-zero policies last year, is joining the fray in a bid to “reset the narrative” under a new Labour government.
“The truth is we can't expect other nations to trust us if we're half-hearted about our own plans,” UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said.
Mr Miliband announced he would personally lead negotiations at Cop29 in Baku. A junior minister, Graham Stuart, was in charge of the UK team at Cop28, which King Charles also attended.
Baku prepares for Cop29 – in pictures
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Azerbaijan's capital Baku will host the UN Cop29 climate summit in November. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National -
Baku Stadium is the venue for the crucial talks -
Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan, during the Shusha Global Media Forum. Mr Aliyev said the country wanted to have a good outcome -
Cop29 signs have started to appear in Baku -
Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijan’s president, said Armenia – which was recently at war with Azerbaijan – was invited to Cop29 -
Azerbaijan is boosting renewable energy, such as at this Masdar operated solar farm called Garadagh -
But Baku has a long fossil fuel history, with oil derricks seen here and the stadium in the background -
The spectacular oil rush was driven by entrepreneurs such as two of Sweden’s Nobel brothers. The Nobels installed oil pipelines and built the world’s first oil tanker. Seen here is a statue of Alfred Nobel at the Nobel museum in Baku -
Azerbaijan has a rich cultural history to showcase for those attending Cop29 -
Baku's old city sits alongside newer buildings as the country develops using its oil wealth -
Traditional-style construction in Baku -
Stunning architecture in Baku's old city -
Crafts for sale in Baku old city -
Up to 50,000 people are expected in Baku for Cop29
Labour has moved swiftly since winning power to approve new solar farms and announce plans for offshore wind turbines on Crown Estate seabed owned by King Charles.
The UK is among about 200 countries who agreed at Cop28 to help treble the world's renewable energy firepower and “transition away” from fossil fuels.
Key delegates have separately been invited to a retreat in Shamakhi, Azerbaijan, this weekend in the hope of finding common ground before November.
The troika presidents plan to use the UN General Assembly in New York in the autumn to allow “early movers”, who submit their new green plans ahead of time, to show off their credentials on stage.
A majlis, or traditional Arab meeting, will separately take place in Brazil with a focus on climate resilience as part of an updated pre-Cop29 agenda.
The three presidencies said recent UN talks in Germany showed there were “clear challenges” unless countries have the “means of implementation” required, notably finance.
“Let us seize this opportunity to affirm our commitment to a sustainable and resilient world for all,” they wrote.
The best from Cop28 Dubai - in pictures
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People from all around the world, including the small island nation of Tuvalu, descend on Cop28 in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Performance artist Marius Diaconu leads a Unity Dance on the opening day at Expo City. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron at the second day of the summit. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Visitors from Ecuador at the event. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
The Saudi pavilion turned heads. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Protesters held flags reading: 'No climate justice without human rights.' Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Global cultures on full display on day three. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Sadhguru, founder and head of India's Isha Foundation, on day three. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Cop28 demonstrators call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Pawan Singh / The National -
Brazil's popular pavilion. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Expo City's impressive dome at night. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Commissioned artwork titled The Choice by Tristan Eaton at Expo City. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Visitors young and old at the site. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
The summit is a global affair. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Activists air their hopes at the site. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Local and international communities are working together to secure a greener future. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Visitors arrive for day six of the summit. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Young activists from Engajamundo protest about smog being created from deforestation in the Amazon. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Colours on display on day six. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Members of a Sikh human rights group in attendence. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Egyptian comic Bassem Youssef attends a talk on the sixth day. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
The Wake up experience with Sadhguru. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
The Wake up experience with Sadhguru. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
The first week of talks finished on a high, with hard negotiations planned for the second one. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Protestors call for a ban on fossil fuels. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Day seven's Sustainable Fashion show. Pawan Singh / The National -
Talks resumed on day nine, after a one-day break. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Friends for Future protest to phase out fossil fuels on day nine. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice also demonstrate. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
International visitors at the site on day 11. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
People protest about 'no climate justice without human rights'. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Mariam Almheiri, minister of Climate Change and Environment, speaks at the launch ceremony of the environmental identity. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Visitors watch the protests. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Day 11 at Cop28. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Day 11 at Cop28. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Indonesian dancers perform on day 12. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Day 12 at Cop28. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Negotiations remain under way on day 12. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Messages left at the Indonesian pavilion. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Protestors call for climate action to extend to food systems. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Nuclear for Climate demonstrators. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President, arriving for the plenary session on day 14. Pawan Singh / The National
In a flurry of announcements this week, Azerbaijan has invited fossil fuel producers to contribute, on a voluntary basis, to a $1 billion climate fund.
Mukhtar Babayev, the President-designate of Cop29, described London as a “key hub for climate action and diplomacy” as Azerbaijan looks for support from the UK.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has formally been invited to Baku, previously accused his predecessor Rishi Sunak of going missing on the climate negotiating stage.
Britain's clean power plans are a “powerful signal to the world that we can achieve both energy independence and we can tackle the climate crisis together”, said Mr Miliband.
“From now on, you have a government that will lead at home and lead internationally when it comes to the biggest long-term issue of our time.”
