UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres met Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President-designate and UAE special envoy for climate change on Friday.
During their meeting at the UN, they discussed a "common understanding" that the world is seriously "off-track" in efforts to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C, Mr Guterres said.
“Major and disruptive actions, especially by all major emitters, are required to get back on track,” he said.
Mr Guterres accepted an invitation from Dr Al Jaber to attend the Cop28 climate talks in the UAE.
The two also discussed the need for significant reforms to multilateral development banks, which support a green transition in the Global South by helping to unlock additional climate finance.
Currently in the US, as part of a global tour in the lead up to the climate talks taking place in the UAE in November, Dr Al Jaber met US special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry at the White House on Thursday to discuss opportunities for accelerating climate action on the road to Cop28.
