UAE participates in G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting

On Monday 12 June 2023, His Excellency Ahmed Al Sayegh, Minister of State, participated in the G20 Development Ministers Meeting chaired by India and held in Varanasi, Republic of India. The meeting addressed ways to enhance multilateralism cooperation towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as green development mechanisms.

During an intervention, His Excellency affirmed the United Arab Emirates’ commitment and continued support of multilateral cooperation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2030, as well as the importance of enhancing inclusivity of developing nations and least developed nations in forums and organizations, both on the regional and global levels.

His Excellency also praised all initiatives aimed at supporting the participation of guest countries in the G20, and expanding membership in major organizations at the regional and international levels. He praised the willingness of these organizations to continuously develop and modernize the global governance system.

Moreover, His Excellency also mentioned that the UAE was at the forefront of cooperation between sustainable development and the green economy, as the UAE launched a strategy for Green Development in 2012, by developing the first smart and sustainable city in the region and that it has leveraged its natural and technological advantages as an energy hub to create an ecosystem of climate solutions, having so far invested USD50 billion in renewable energy in more than 70 countries, and pledged to invest more than USD50 billion in clean energy projects at home and abroad over the next decade.

His Excellency called on the G20 and guest countries to benefit from COP28, which will be hosted by the UAE in Expo City Dubai next November and aims to urgently transform and accelerate climate action to meet the commitments the world has made to limit global warming to less than 1.5°C. COP28 also aims to strengthen the voices of underrepresented and vulnerable communities, embrace changes to advance the real economy, and highlight where progress has been made and how to build upon it.

His Excellency affirmed the commitment of the UAE’s presidency of COP28 to provide all facilities and means of support required for a successful conference and to integrate the constructive initiatives of the G20 into the agenda and themes that will be highlighted at the event.

The UAE is participating in the G20 as a guest for the third time since 2020, reflecting the pioneering and active position of the UAE and its pivotal contributions to the most pressing issues on the international stage.