DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday that Sultan Al-Jaber, the head of state oil giant ADNOC, would act as president of the COP28 climate conference it is hosting this year.
Jaber, also UAE’s minister of industry and technology and its climate envoy, will help develop the COP28 agenda and play a central role in intergovernmental negotiations to build consensus, his office said in a statement.
The UAE, a major OPEC oil exporter, will be the second Arab state to host the climate conference after Egypt hosted the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) 27th Conference of the Parties (COP 27) in 2022.
As founding CEO of Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy firm Masdar, in which ADNOC has a 24 percent stake, Jaber has green credentials having overseen its mandate to adopt renewables in the UAE.
He is also overseeing an acceleration of ADNOC’s low-carbon growth strategy approved late last year.
The UAE and other Gulf energy producers have called for a realistic energy transition in which hydrocarbons would continue playing a role to ensure energy security while making commitments to decarbonization.
Demands from environmental groups and scientists that government and companies leave oil and gas in the ground have gained less traction since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year and Europe’s scramble for energy security.
The UAE, the first country in the region to ratify the Paris Agreement, has committed to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The COP28 conference will be the first global stocktake since the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015.
Jaber, who according to the statement, would be the first CEO to serve as COP president, said the UAE would bring “a pragmatic, realistic and solutions-oriented approach” to the conference.
“We will take an inclusive approach that engages all stakeholders.”
UAE names ADNOC chief Jaber as COP28 climate conference president
https://arab.news/95uyh
UAE names ADNOC chief Jaber as COP28 climate conference president
- The COP28 conference will be the first global stocktake since the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015
- Jaber is overseeing an acceleration of ADNOC’s low-carbon growth strategy
First EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials reflects shared policy commitment
RIYADH: The EU–Saudi Arabia Business and Investment Dialogue on Advancing Critical Raw Materials Value Chains, held in Riyadh as part of the Future Minerals Forum, brought together senior policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to advance strategic cooperation across critical raw materials value chains.
Organized under a Team Europe approach by the EU–GCC Cooperation on Green Transition Project, in coordination with the EU Delegation to Saudi Arabia, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Kingdom and in close cooperation with FMF, the dialogue provided a high-level platform to explore European actions under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU alongside the Kingdom’s aspirations for minerals, industrial, and investment priorities.
This is in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and broader regional ambitions across the GCC, MENA, and Africa.
ResourceEU is the EU’s new strategic action plan, launched in late 2025, to secure a reliable supply of critical raw materials like lithium, rare earths, and cobalt, reducing dependency on single suppliers, such as China, by boosting domestic extraction, processing, recycling, stockpiling, and strategic partnerships with resource-rich nations.
The first ever EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials was opened by the bloc’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, Christophe Farnaud, together with Saudi Deputy Minister for Mining Development Turki Al-Babtain, turning policy alignment into concrete cooperation.
Farnaud underlined the central role of international cooperation in the implementation of the EU’s critical raw materials policy framework.
“As the European Union advances the implementation of its Critical Raw Materials policy, international cooperation is indispensable to building secure, diversified, and sustainable value chains. Saudi Arabia is a key partner in this effort. This dialogue reflects our shared commitment to translate policy alignment into concrete business and investment cooperation that supports the green and digital transitions,” said the ambassador.
Discussions focused on strengthening resilient, diversified, and responsible CRM supply chains that are essential to the green and digital transitions.
Participants explored concrete opportunities for EU–Saudi cooperation across the full value chain, including exploration, mining, and processing and refining, as well as recycling, downstream manufacturing, and the mobilization of private investment and sustainable finance, underpinned by high environmental, social, and governance standards.
From the Saudi side, the dialogue was framed as a key contribution to the Kingdom’s industrial transformation and long-term economic diversification agenda under Vision 2030, with a strong focus on responsible resource development and global market integration.
“Developing globally competitive mineral hubs and sustainable value chains is a central pillar of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s industrial transformation. Our engagement with the European Union through this dialogue to strengthen upstream and downstream integration, attract high-quality investment, and advance responsible mining and processing. Enhanced cooperation with the EU, capitalizing on the demand dynamics of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, will be key to delivering long-term value for both sides,” said Al-Babtain.
Valere Moutarlier, deputy director-general for European industry decarbonization, and directorate-general for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs at European Commission, said the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU provided a clear framework to strengthen Europe’s resilience while deepening its cooperation with international partners.
“Cooperation with Saudi Arabia is essential to advancing secure, sustainable, and diversified critical raw materials value chains. Dialogues such as this play a key role in translating policy ambitions into concrete industrial and investment cooperation,” she added.
