COP28: Sri Lanka President heads to Dubai; RW expected to launch Climate Justice Forum

COLOMBO (News 1st); The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 will on Thursday (30) with a resounding call to accelerate collective climate action. 

Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe left for Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) to attend the COP28 World Leaders Summit.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe is spearheading Sri Lanka’s delegation, to the Conference, which is set to tackle pressing climate change issues and to address critical decisions.

Sri Lanka is set to launch the Climate Justice Forum during the upcoming COP28 Conference.

The President, accompanied by 03 ministers and 02 opposition MPs, along with twenty young participants passionate about environmental concerns, will engage in this pivotal conference in Dubai.

The conference takes place in what is already known to be the hottest year ever recorded in human history and as the impacts of the climate crisis wreak unprecedented havoc on human life and livelihoods around the world.

COP28 will take place from 30th November to 12th December 2023, is a decisive moment to act on climate commitments and prevent the worst impacts of climate change. UAE has the presidency for COP28, with Dr Sultan Al Jaber as this year’s president.

“Over 160 world leaders are headed to Dubai, because only cooperation between nations can get humanity back in this race. But COP28 cannot be just a photo-op. Leaders must deliver – the message is clear,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell. “And as leaders leave Dubai after the opening summit, their message to their negotiators must be equally clear: don’t come home without a deal that will make a real difference.”

Climate finance stands at the heart of this transformation. Replenishing the Green Climate Fund, doubling financial resources for adaptation and operationalizing the loss and damage fund are key to keeping 1.5°C within reach while leaving no one behind.

About COP28:

COP28 stands for the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). COPs take place every year.

COP28, taking place in the United Arab Emirates from 30 November to 12 December 2023, aims to address the climate crisis by agreeing on ways to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Over 70,000 delegates, including member states, business leaders, young people, climate scientists, Indigenous Peoples, journalists, and various other experts and stakeholders are expected to attend.