Swiss president travelling to Oman and UAE for COP28

COP28 will convene in the United Arab Emirates in November 2023. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Climate and energy will be the main topics of the trip that Swiss President Alain Berset will undertake to Oman and the United Arab Emirates, where he will participate in COP28.

To mark 50 years of diplomatic relations, Berset will be in Oman on 30 November, where he will be received by Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said.

Switzerland’s first presidential visit to the country will focus on cooperation in the field of renewable energy, tourism and peace promotion.

Afterwards, the Swiss leader will attend the opening of the 28th UN Climate Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Switzerland will also be represented by Environment Minister Albert Rösti. He will be in Dubai on  December 8. Here he will participate in the negotiations at ministerial level and in the adoption of the conference decisions. In particular, he will sign a bilateral agreement with other partner states for emission reduction projects.

Oman, great potential

Accompanying Berset on his presidential visit to Oman will be a delegation of business and scientific representatives.

Oman offers great potential, for example in the production of hydrogen from renewable energies.

The partnership between Switzerland and Oman in the areas of peace promotion and mediation dates back to a declaration of intent in 2019.

COP 28

Berset will attend the meeting of heads of state and government at the opening of COP28 on Friday, December 1. Decisions will be made regarding the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The states involved will for the first time take joint stock of the progress made under the agreement and discuss how the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees can be achieved.

In this context, a decision will be taken on the expansion of renewable energies and energy efficiency on a global level. In this regard, Switzerland is committed to ensuring that the global budget shows the gaps in the reduction of CO2 emissions, adaptation to climate change and climate financing.

This commitment will lead to recommendations on actions to be taken to achieve the objectives of the Agreement. The recommendations will apply to all countries, particularly those with high greenhouse gas emissions.