UAE joins 175 nations in signing Paris Accord

NEW YORK / WAM

The UAE joined over 175 countries in signing the Paris Climate Agreement during the high-level signing ceremony, convened by the United Nation’s Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, in New York. The ceremony marked the first step in implementing the Paris Agreement, which was adopted in December 2015.
Signing on behalf of the UAE government was Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, who said, “The UAE is proud to be here today to send a united message to the world. We will make Paris Agreement work, and we will work individually and collectively to find the best courses of climate action.”
The Paris Agreement will govern climate action after 2020 by to continue diversifying its economy through a flexible framework that allows countries to determine its own action in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Starting in May of this year, Parties to the United Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will begin a multi-year process of detailing the Agreement to find fair and innovative ways to incentivize all countries, developed and developing, to reach their greatest ambitions.
During his statement at the signing ceremony, Dr Al Zeyoudi outlined the voluntary steps that the UAE is undertaking to diversify its economy into knowledge driven industries.