Co-organized by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) between November 30 – December 12, 2023, in Dubai, United Nations Climate Conference 2023 / Conference of Parties (COP28) accepted more than 110.000 accredited participants and offered 400+ sessions.
Aimed to cover the waterfront of climate change, the two-week event opened the way for evaluating the process of fighting climate change and implementing the climate action plan.
Organized within the concept of COP28, the sessions were run under the themes of decreasing carbon emissions, transition to clean energy, urban greening, protection of biodiversity and nature, enlargement of reserves, sustainable waste and wastewater management, and adoption of climate-neutral strategies in all kind of operations.
Carrying out its activities within the concept of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) and mobilizing its member network for the implementation of the climate action plan, UCLG-MEWA Committee on Environment followed both the coordination of their members’ participation in the event and the conference agenda.
High-level participants from the MEWA Region also attended the event. Speaking at UCLG Africa’s Pavilion, Uğur İbrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya and UCLG President, drew attention to the role of local governments, stating, “As UCLG family and being a part of the fight with climate change, we recognize the vital role that cities work in alignment with the Global Agendas.”
During the sessions he attended, Dr. Yousef Al-Shawarbeh, Mayor of Amman and UCLG-MEWA Co-President, stated that coordination among local and central governments must be ensured when the point is climate change. He also pointed out that in Amman, carbon-neutral urban future operations are aligned with the national strategy.
Ahmet Pekyatırmacı, Mayor of Selçuklu and UCLG-MEWA Executive Bureau member. Stating, “Local governments should play a pivotal role in the management of renewable energy sources,” he stressed that local governments should take the lead in renewable energy management.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres noted that a new convention is required to accelerate the decrease of non-renewable energy sources to prevent the destructive effects of climate change.
Convened every year in a different country to make an annual evaluation of climate change, the event has been decided to be held in Azerbaijan in 2024.