Egyptian minister urges nations to honour Cop27 loss and damage pledge

How to finance and manage a fund for climate disasters will be on agenda at Cop28 in Dubai

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, unveils the Cop28 logo with President-designate Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Victor Besa / The National

The Masdar display at the event. Victor Besa / The National

The Mohamed Bin Zayed University stall. Victor Besa / The National

Visitors walk past the Masdar stall. Victor Besa / The National

The Adnoc display. Victor Besa / The National

The National signage on display at the event. Victor Besa / The National

The government of Fujairah's stall. Victor Besa / The National

The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy's display. Victor Besa / The National

Another view of the Adnoc stand. Victor Besa / The National

Another view of the Masdar display. Victor Besa / The National

Visitors at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Victor Besa / The National

Day two of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week aims to accelerate sustainable development and advance economic, social and environmental progress. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The Envision stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Masdar's stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The Tadweer stand. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The event brings together heads of state, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and senior policymakers. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

A solar energy diorama on Day 2 of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week at Adnec in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week plays host to some very big names in international business, including Huawei of China. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, delivers a speech. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Mahmoud Mohieldin, executive director of the IMF, left, in discussion on Day 2 of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week at Adnec in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Visitors at the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Awaidha Al Marar of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, an Abu Dhabi Executive Council Member and Member of Enec's board of directors, delivers opening remarks on Net-Zero Ambitions in Energy on Day 2 of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week at Adnec. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The Aldar stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The Bee'ah stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Ahmed El Hoshy, chief executive of Fertiglobe, right, in a panel discussion titled A Manifesto for Food Systems at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, delivers a speech promoting solar power at the opening of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Laurent Fabius (2nd L), president of the constitutional council of France, speaks to guests at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Photo: Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed speaks to John Kerry, US presidential envoy for climate, at a reception before the opening ceremony. Photo: Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed meets Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia. Photo: Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed meets Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana. Photo: Presidential Court

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, right, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Group, chief executive of Adnoc and chairman of Masdar, receives Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy. Photo: Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed greets Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan. Photo: Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed stands for a photograph with heads of state and government. (Front row: R-L) presidents Surangel Whipps Jr of Palau, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea, Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Joao Lourenco of Angola, Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique and Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia. (Back row: R-L) Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco, Wavil Ramkalawan, President of Seychelles, Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia, Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, Tiemoko Meyliet Kone, Vice President of Ivory Coast and Dr Sultan Al Jaber. Photo: Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed greets a guest. Photo: Presidential Court

Dr Al Jaber with Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan. Photo: Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed greets Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Photo: Presidential Court

(Back row L-R) Siaosi Sovaleni, Prime Minister of Tonga, Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco, Wavil Ramkalawan, President of Seychelles, Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia, Surangel Whipps Jr, President of Palau, Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, Yoon Suk Yeol, President of South Korea, President Sheikh Mohamed, Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, Joao Lourenco, President of Angola, Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique, Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, former president of Iceland and chairman of Arctic Circle, Tiemoko Meyliet Kone, Vice President of Ivory Coast, and Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology. Photo: Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed presents the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize for East Asia & Pacific Global High Schools to a representative from Kamil Muslim College, Fiji. Photo: Presidential Court

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan (L), and President Sheikh Mohamed present the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize for Americas Global High Schools, to a representative from Fundacion Bios Terrae in Colombia. Photo: Presidential Court

(L-R) Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Kim Keon Hee, first lady of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, President of South Korea, President Sheikh Mohamed, Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, Joao Lourenco, President of Angola and Ana Dias Lourenco, first lady of Angola. Photo: Presidential Court

Guests stand for the national anthem during the opening ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Photo: Presidential Court

Children sing the UAE national anthem . Photo: Presidential Court

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President-designate and the UAE's special envoy on climate change, speaks at the opening of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Mr Yoon, a keynote speaker at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

US climate envoy John Kerry, centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

From left, Phillip Cornell, senior fellow of Atlantic Council Global Energy Centre; Christian Bruch, president and chief executive officer of Siemens Energy; Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman, president and chief executive of Baker Hughes; and Marisa Drew, chief sustainability officer of Standard Chartered. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

World leaders must honour their pledge to help vulnerable countries pay for climate damage, Sameh Shoukry, Egyptian Foreign Minister and president of Cop27, has said.

Mr Shoukry said negotiations on the landmark Loss and Damage Fund, agreed in Sharm El Sheikh last year, were hard-fought.

Decision-makers had a collective responsibility to follow through when the matter returns to the negotiating table at Cop28 in Dubai in November, he said.

The fund would involve several wealthy nations sending billions in aid to poorer countries who disproportionately suffer the impact of climate change.

Developing countries who have contributed the least cannot control the burden without providing them the tools to do so

Sameh Shoukry,
Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cop27 president

How the fund is managed and financed is yet to be hammered out and will be back on the agenda at Dubai Expo City in November.

“We are proud to have been able to deliver on a long waited — a 40 years in the making — loss and damage fund,” said Mr Shoukry at a panel discussion for Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

“And we look forward to the finalisation of the structure, the governance and the architecture of the fund.

“Hopefully, that it will be endorsed, but more importantly, that it will be financed at Cop28.”

Many low-income countries that contribute the least to climate change have faced its devastating effects.

Back row, left to right: Siaosi Sovaleni, Prime Minister of Tonga, Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco, Wavil Ramkalawan, President of Seychelles, Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia, Surangel Whipps, President of Palau, Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, Kasim-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, Yoon Suk Yeol, President of South Korea, President Sheikh Mohamed, Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, Joao Lourenco, President of Angola, Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique, Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, former president of Iceland and chairman of Arctic Circle, Tiemoko Meyliet Kone, Vice President of Ivory Coast, and Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, pose for a photograph with 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize winners during the opening ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Photo: UAE Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed presents the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize for Sub-Saharan Africa Global High Schools to Arusha Campus (Tanzania). Photo: UAE Presidential Court

Sheikh Mohamed presents the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize for South Asia Global High Schools to a representative from Dhaka Residential Model College (Bangladesh). Photo: UAE Presidential Court

Sheikh Mohamed presents the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize for Europe & Central Asia Global High Schools to a representative from Germany's Romain-Rolland Gymnasium. Photo: UAE Presidential Court

Sheikh Mohamed presents the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize for Food to a representative from Ynsect (France). Photo: UAE Presidential Court

Sheikh Mohamed congratulates Abdulrahman Neshat, Zayed Sustainability Prize winner in the Global High Schools category. Photo: Twitter / MohamedBinZayed

Nawaila Ali, Rinal Prasad and Aqeelah Ali from Dhaka Residential Model College, Bangladesh, winners in the Global High Schools category

Sandy Bello and Linda Alarcon from Fundacion Bios Terrae ICAM Ubate, Colombia, winners in the Global High Schools category

Ricardo Ferreira from Associacao Expedicionarios da Saude in Brazil, the Health category winner

Abdulrahman Neshat and Mohammed Ali, both 16, from Gifted Students School in Iraq, winners in the Global High Schools category

Heba Assad from Neurotech, the winner in the Energy category for supplying energy to Syrian refugees in Jordan

Mohon Mandal from Bangladeshi non-profit Ledars, winners in the Water category for integrating resource management models in disaster-prone areas

Pakistan, for example, emits less than 1 per cent of global emissions, but is one of the worst hit countries by climate change, according to the UN.

Last year, the country suffered damage valued at $30 billion from severe flooding that was closely linked to climate change. The African continent also contributes the least to climate change yet is the most vulnerable.

Meanwhile, the G20 group of the most developed nations represent around 75 per cent of global greenhouse emissions.

“Ambition and mitigation has to be coupled with delivery and in terms of finance,” said Mr Shoukry.

“Developing countries who have contributed the least cannot control the burden without providing them the tools to do so in terms of finance or obligations, whether at the governmental, private sector or financial institutions.”

US climate envoy John Kerry told The National in an interview on Sunday that the US would not accept an “imposed standard of liability” to help vulnerable countries overcome the effects of climate change.

The former secretary of state said the US could be relied upon for climate-related disaster relief — but “that's different from paying for a loss that hasn't been purely defined”.

“The United States will not accept … some imposed standard of liability,” said Mr Kerry, who was in Abu Dhabi for events under Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

Simon Stiell, executive secretary at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, was also speaking at the panel on Monday.

He said that Cop28 offers an opportunity to “course correct”, so that countries can meet its climate goals.

A stocktake of the Paris Agreement, an assessment of the progress the world has made in limiting the warming of the planet to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, would be presented at the conference.

“We have two challenges in the lead-up to Cop28 — one is defining and making sure that we design this stocktake as impactfully as it needs to be and the Secretariat has an important role in doing it,” said Mr Stiell.

“But it has to be absorbed by parties and responded to by parties who are non (state) and state actors.

“The other element is once this is presented in a practical form, it is for us to shift our mindsets.

“This could be the last opportunity that we have to interfere with the process in order to get us on the path that we need to get to.”