Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT Hage Geingob has departed for Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to participate in the upcoming 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and High-level events of the Global Stocktake (GST).
This was confirmed by the Namibian Presidency, which revealed that the President was invited to participate in COP28 by President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE. Scheduled from November 30 to December 12, COP28 anticipates over 70,000 delegates, including UNFCCC member states.
“Namibia welcomes and values the opportunity to participate in this crucial summit as a country heavily impacted by climate change. Namibia is at an advanced stage with initiatives to start producing clean energy through green hydrogen to respond to the global challenges of climate change and meet global energy demand,” the presidency said.
The presidency added that the summit will also provide Namibia with an opportunity to showcase its ambition of becoming a green hydrogen superpower in the coming decade by positioning itself as an international exporter of green hydrogen.
“This year’s UN climate change conference, COP28, is a pivotal opportunity to correct course and accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis, with global temperatures hitting record highs and extreme weather events affecting people around the globe. It serves as an international platform for climate dialogues as well as to advance and steer the course of climate negotiations among parties to the UNFCCC,” the Namibian Presidency explained.
The presidency added that COP28 is being held at a significant moment and will see the conclusion of the first GST of the Paris Agreement, which will assess global progress made and identify areas for the world to work towards greater climate action.
“The GST that was established by Article 14 of the Paris Agreement aims to assess the collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the Agreement and its long-term goals in a comprehensive and facilitative manner, considering mitigation, adaptation, and means of implementation and support, in light of equity and the best available science,” the Namibian Presidency explained.
President Geingob’s itinerary also encompasses participation in the World Climate Action Summit, formally launching the Emirate Climate Conference. The President will then join other Heads of State and Government in a high-level event on means of implementation and support to deliberate on and evaluate the conclusions of the GST technical assessment regarding means of implementation and support.
“On 2 December 2023, President Geingob will participate with other Heads of State and Government in the high-level event on mitigation to discuss and assess the outcomes of the GST technical assessment, considering efforts related to response measures as appropriate. On the same day, President Geingob will join his counterparts in the high-level event on adaptation to deliberate on and assess the conclusions of the GST technical assessment on adaptation, taking into account efforts related to loss and damage as appropriate,” the presidency revealed.
The Namibian Presidency further revealed that the President’s schedule also includes participation in the Summit of G-77 and China Leaders on Climate Change, alongside engagements like the initial meeting on the Critical Raw Materials Club organized by the European Commission at the EU Pavilion of COP28 on 2 December. Additionally, he’ll attend the UAE’s 52nd National Day celebration on 3 December.
“On the margins of COP28, President Geingob will hold meetings with the former Secretary-General of the United Nations and current Chairperson of the Centre for Global Adaptation, H.E Ban Ki-Moon, as well as business leaders from Siemens Energy, Fortescue Future Industries,” the Namibian Presidency said.
The presidency confirmed that President Geingob will return to Namibia on 10 December.
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