Members of the Sierra Leone delegation to the Conference of the Parties (COP28) have attended the opening ceremony of the climate summit in Dubai.
During the event, Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, congratulated the COP28UAE President on the positive start of the conference with an expeditious approval of the agenda and the landmark operationalisation of the Lost and Damage Funds. He said that climate challenges were bringing the world to its knees, adding that was a sickness only global leaders could cure.
“We are miles from the goals of the Paris Agreement…but it is not too late. We have the technologies to avoid the worst if we act now. We need leadership, cooperation and political will for actions and we need it now. Climate justice is long overdue. Developing countries have been devastated by disasters they did not cause. The global stock take must commit to a surge in finance including for adaptation and lost and damage and it must support reform of the multilateral development banks to leverage far more private finance at reasonable costs for developing countries in climate action,” he said.
King Charles III of the United Kingdom expressed optimism that the COP28 would be another critical turning point towards genuine action. He said that dealing with climate change was a job for everyone, while urging global leaders to work together to make it easier to embrace decisions that will sustain the world. He reminded the climate negotiation process that the hope of the world would rest on the decisions they take.
Earlier on, the United Arab Emirates President, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced a $30 billion fund for global climate change solutions as a way of bridging the climate financing gap.
The COP28 has brought together world leaders, private sector players, civil society and other stakeholders who over the next two weeks would discuss and take actions to address climate issues in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13.
Members of the Sierra Leone delegation are expected to participate in several platforms during the summit.
