Abdullah lauds UAE's efforts on climate

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Ban ki-moon felipe calderon tony blair and al gore to participate in meet.

the uae’s hosting of the high-profile abu dhabi ascent meeting from today is a tribute to the central role the uae now plays in supporting practical actions to address climate change uae foreign minister shaikh abdullah bin zayed al nahyan said in a statement.

describing abu dhabi ascent as one of the most important meetings on climate change in many years shaikh abdullah said united nations secretary-general ban ki-moon will convene a gathering of around 100 ministers as well as thought-leaders such as former mexican president felipe calderon former uk prime minister tony blair and former us vice-president al gore to shape more ambitious actions on climate change.

the two-day meeting is being held in preparation for a climate summit to be held in new york in september this year that will focus on ambitious actions to reduce emissions and to help people deal with the impacts of climate change.

shaikh abdullah said: “our contribution is based on a combination of strong domestic action international investment and support for international cooperation.”

reflecting on why the uae has taken on such a role he said: “in barely two generations we have built a modern nation in the desert.”

“events such as the world future energy summit the international water summit and the zayed future energy prize have placed us at the centre of global cooperation and debate.

“the abu dhabi ascent is a further indication of our recognised leadership on climate change solutions” he said.