COP28 UAE Announces Largest Global Convening of Business & Philanthropy Leaders Around Climate and Nature

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Sep 07, 2023, 05:42 ET

Business & Philanthropy Climate Forum to accelerate climate and nature solutions.
Over 500 CEOs and Philanthropists to convene 1 and 2 December.
The Forum will connect business and philanthropy with the COP28 Action Agenda, helping to enable a fast-tracked energy transition, fixing climate finance, focusing on people, lives and livelihoods with full inclusivity.

ABU DHABI, UAE, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The COP28 Presidency will host the Business & Philanthropy Climate Forum (BPCF) on December 1 and 2, held concurrently with the world leaders World Climate Action Summit. This CEO-level Forum will mobilize global business leaders and philanthropists to progress action in line with the COP28 Presidential Action Agenda to advance cross-sectoral progress around net zero and nature positive goals.

This first of a kind multi-stakeholder engagement strategy for climate and nature is driven by the UAE's ambition to host a truly inclusive climate conference that marshals full and broad support with engagement from all regions of the world. The Forum will converge business and philanthropy leaders, along with policy makers, to ensure co-creation, collaboration, and acceleration to unlock solutions and drive bolder results.

Hosting the Forum in parallel with the Heads of State level World Climate Action Summit, the COP28 Presidency is determined to close the gaps between policy and practice, and accelerate climate action through cross-sectoral partnerships and collaboration.

Prominent leaders from business and philanthropy will gather at the forum, bringing their expertise and resources to deliver tangible climate and nature solutions at a global scale. The Forum will address key climate priorities related to the COP28 Action Agenda, which includes fast-tracking a just and orderly energy transition; fixing climate finance; putting nature, lives and livelihoods at the heart of climate action; and underpinning everything with full inclusivity.

COP28 President-Designate Dr. Sultan Al Jaber said, "To disrupt business as usual and fix climate finance we need action from everyone. We are committed to underpinning everything at COP28 with full inclusivity and we want to bring together key stakeholders to work on collective solutions. That is why I am hosting the Business & Philanthropy Climate Forum to deliver concrete outcomes from the private and philanthropic sectors that can be presented at the highest levels of COP28. Businesses and philanthropists must play leading roles in meeting net zero pathways and delivering sustainable development and at COP28 they will have a platform to do so."

The Forum will be chaired by the COP28 Special Representative for Business & Philanthropy, Badr Jafar, a businessman and philanthropy advocate, who also serves on the COP28 Advisory Committee.

Badr Jafar said, "The private sector holds the greatest promise to accelerate the accomplishment of our climate and nature global goals, which is why COP28 will ensure business and philanthropy are embraced as critical partners. The Business & Philanthropy Climate Forum provides this enabling platform for action, breaking down silos between sectors and connecting stakeholders from all regions of the world around game-changing outcomes underpinned by the COP28 Action Agenda. This is what is needed to deliver scalable solutions that can positively transform the lives of billions of people."

COP28 will see the conclusion of the Global Stocktake, outlining gaps in implementation under the Paris Agreement. The COP28 Action Agenda is purposefully designed to accelerate implementation across each of the major workstreams. This includes mitigating emissions through a tripling of clean energy capacities and sectoral decarbonization. It also includes support to strengthen resilience and boost adaptation efforts by focusing on key sectors impacted by climate change, including health systems, food and water, nature and ecosystems, cities, and relief and recovery.

Aligned with the COP28 Action Agenda, Forum attendees will look at targeted solutions for accelerating technology transfer, de-risking green investments, enabling effective investment for nature conservation, developing 'greenshots' for large-scale catalytic action, enabling climate SMEs and startups, and investing in resilience for the most vulnerable, amongst other essential private sector outcomes.

The Forum is set to engage over 500 CEOs and philanthropists for a 90-minute flagship session on December 1 in the COP28 Blue Zone. Held under the theme of 'Synergizing Business and Philanthropy: A New Paradigm for Climate & Nature Action', this session will focus on how best to mobilize the experience and resources of the private sector to deliver meaningful action and unlock greater flows of private financing for the Global South.

The Forum will then move to the Green Zone Conference Center for afternoon sessions on December 1, under the theme of 'Business & Philanthropy as Game Changers: Setting the Stage for Action'. Participants will gather for full-day sessions on December 2 at the Green Zone Conference Center on 'Forging Pathways to Green Growth'.

The Forum will be held at the beginning of the two-week COP28 program that runs from 30 November to 12 December. The two-week agenda for COP28 was developed in consultation with stakeholders from around the world in a six-week open consultation – the first such approach taken by a COP Presidency.

COP28 Special Representative for Business & Philanthropy, Badr Jafar is CEO of Crescent Enterprises and is actively involved with a diverse range of organizations and initiatives focused on social entrepreneurship, international development, humanitarian aid, strategic philanthropy and corporate governance.

Notes to Editors COP28 UAE:

COP28 UAE will take place at Expo City Dubai from November 30-December 12, 2023. The Conference is expected to convene over 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts, youth, and non-state actors.
As mandated by the Paris Climate Agreement, COP28 UAE will deliver the first ever Global Stocktake – a comprehensive evaluation of progress against climate goals.
The UAE will lead a process for all parties to agree upon a clear roadmap to accelerate progress through a pragmatic global energy transition and a "leave no one behind" approach to inclusive climate action."
The Business & Philanthropy Climate Forum is COP28's private sector engagement platform to convene and engage business leaders and philanthropists from around the world.