The summit, organised by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, was aimed to build political momentum towards a new global climate change agreement, which is to be negotiated by December 2015.

Foreign minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the UAE delegation in talks with UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and his team on the sidelines of the 69th UN general assembly in New York on Friday. They discussed issues of mutual interest, including developments in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, the Palestinian issue and international counter-terrorism efforts. — Wam

The UAE has reiterated its support for renewable energy initiatives, enhancing energy efficiency and voluntary actions to mitigate climate change at the United Nations Climate Summit in New York.

The summit was part of the UN General Assembly meetings, which were attended by a UAE delegation led by Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The summit, organised by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, was aimed to build political momentum towards a new global climate change agreement, which is to be negotiated by December 2015.

Over 120 heads of state and governments attended this week’s summit, and announced new measures and partnerships to combat the global climate change challenge. The summit follows the Abu Dhabi Ascent, which was held in May this year. The Abu Dhabi Ascent was critical in shaping and scaling up the initiatives and commitments that were announced during the summit.

Delivering a speech at the summit, Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change, said, “By hosting the Abu Dhabi Ascent, the UAE played a crucial role in shaping the initiatives and voluntary actions that were announced this week at the Climate Summit. These announcements are a clear indication of the growing commitment world leaders are making to address the global climate change challenge.”

The UAE emphasised its extensive development assistance programme for renewable energy, which in the last 12 months has mobilised grants and low-interest loans to support fellow developing countries’ deployment efforts.

“Today, we are restating our belief that renewable energy and enhanced efficiency are the climate solution that all nations can get behind. Renewable energy is now the most efficient source of power for many developing countries and offers tremendous socio-economic opportunities,” added Dr Sultan Al Jaber.

Through Masdar, the UAE has made major investments across renewable energy projects, and is currently producing nearly 1GW of capacity both domestically and internationally. The world’s largest two greenhouse gas emitters — the USA and China — also pledged action to mitigate their emissions.

In his address, US President Barack Obama said that climate change was moving faster than efforts to address it, and the US and China had a responsibility to lead other nations.

“Today world leaders agreed that climate change is a defining issue of our time and that bold action is needed to reduce emissions and build resilience; and that they would lead this effort,” Ban Ki-moon said.

“Together, we must capitalise on the momentum from this summit,” Dr Sultan Al Jaber said and added, “going forward, the UAE will continue to help develop, launch and implement practical, action-oriented initiatives that will make a tangible impact to mitigating climate change and to the advancement of renewable energy.”