Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability Affairs, has participated in the Oman Conference for Environmental Sustainability, being held from 26th to 28th February, under the patronage of Sayyid Asa’ad in Tarik Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs and Personal Representative of His Majesty the Sultan.

The conference is hosted under the supervision of the Environment Authority of Oman, in cooperation with the UN Environment Program (UNEP), along with several entities and ministries of Oman.

During the conference, Balalaa delivered a keynote speech before 25 state representatives, where he underlined the most prominent achievements of the Conference of the Parties to UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), that took place in Expo City Dubai.

He highlighted the directives by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to extend the “Year of Sustainability” into 2024, demonstrating the UAE’s commitment towards strengthening global climate action and building upon the national successes accomplished in 2023 in the field of climate action.

Balalaa emphasised, “The historic ‘UAE Consensus’, achieved at COP28, sets new standards and measures to tackle climate change, and ensures the world keeps 1.5 °C within reach by reducing emissions, bridging the gap in financing and adaptation efforts, and reforming the global financial system.”

He added, “The consensus is considered a pivotal moment in the field of sustainability. COP28 succeeded in mobilizing more than US$ 85 billion in funding for climate action, secured a historic agreement on Loss and Damage, and has overseen breakthrough agreement on the energy transition. The conference was also a significant milestone in multilateralism as 198 countries endorsed a joint approach to accelerate climate action, and define a new and effective path foreword.”

Furthermore, Balalaa underlined the UAE’s endeavours on the sidelines of the World Government Summit (WGS) in February 2024, during which the UAE launched the COP Presidency Troika in partnership with Azerbaijan and Brazil, who will host COP29 and COP30 respectively, to drive collective climate action and keep 1.5 °C within reach. The Troika is a testament of the three COP Presidencies' commitment to foster constructive cooperation, sustain joint endeavours, and maintain momentum in subsequent conferences that further consolidates their achievements.

Balalaa expressed his appreciation to the Sultanate of Oman for organising the conference and for its efforts in sustainability and preserving the environment, which presents an opportunity for future strategic cooperation between the two nations.

He also visited the conference’s environment exhibition, which includes innovative tools, solutions, and technologies across various environmental fields.

The Oman Conference for Environmental Sustainability included 160 research papers from 25 countries, examining several key topics related to the environmental, research and scientific aspects of carbon neutrality.