The Canada-UAE Business Council hosted a luncheon discussion in Abu Dhabi focused on leveraging the Canada-UAE partnership on the road to COP28 with H.E. Majid Al Suwaidi, Director General of COP28, H.E. Kris Panday, Canada’s newly appointed Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and H.E. Jean-Philippe Linteau, Consul General of Canada in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

COP Luncheon

The event featured an introduction by Canada-UAE Business Council Co-Chair Musabbeh Al Kaabi, CEO of Mubadala’s UAE Investments Platform and Incoming Executive Director of ADNOC’s new low carbon solutions and international growth vertical. Mr. Al Kaabi congratulated Canada’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, H.E. Kris Panday, on his appointment. He elaborated on the significance of the UAE hosting COP28 in 2023 and on the synergies between Canada and the United Arab Emirates.

CUBC COP Luncheon

H.E. Al Suwaidi provided an overview of the thematic priorities of COP28 and highlighted how public and private-sector stakeholders can take part in the event. He emphasized that the conference would focus on the critical role of the energy sector in reducing global emissions, on highlighting the nation’s commitment to the energy transition, and on the inclusion of both the public and private sectors as well as non-state actors and civil society.
“COP28 will be both practical and aspirational. It will be the occasion of a global stock take and a catalyzer for pragmatic forward-looking policies.”
H.E. Majid Al Suwaidi, Director General, COP28
CUBC COP Luncheon with HE Al Suwaidi
The 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is scheduled to take place from November 30 to December 12, 2023, in the United Arab Emirates at Expo City Dubai. In 2021, the UAE became the first country in the MENA region to commit to achieving net-zero emissions through its UAE Net-Zero by 2050 strategic initiative.