UAE to host Cop28 climate conference at Expo City Dubai

President Sheikh Mohamed sets out plans for meeting of world leaders

Expo City Dubai is set to open in phases from September 2022, with a full relaunch in October. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National

Visitors can take a trip on the Garden in the Sky from September 1 for Dh30.

Later, as residential sectors open, the district will become a '24-hour neighbourhood' in which people live and work, and can visit.

The Expo metro station in June 2022.

Dubai Exhibition Centre in June 2022.

Ahmed Al Khatib, chief development and delivery officer and Marjan Faraidooni, chief visitor experience officer at Expo 2020 Dubai, at a news conference in June 2022 to announce Expo City Dubai.

The entrance gates await new residents and businesses.

Ahmed Al Khatib said the district would be free of single plastics and was built with an emphasis on the environment.

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed, chairman of Dubai Airports, speaking at a press conference welcoming the next chapter at Expo City Dubai.

The upcoming Cop28 climate conference will be held at Expo City Dubai, President Sheikh Mohamed announced.

The meeting of world leaders in November 2023 will try to find solutions to the threats posed by climate change.

Expo City ― the legacy district of the six-month Expo 2020 Dubai world fair ― was unveiled to the public earlier this week. It will reopen to the public from October 2022 when residents and businesses will move to the area.

At the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties, as Cop28 is formally known, leaders will be urged to commit to tougher action on climate change, including cutting the use of coal-fired power stations, reducing reliability on fossil fuels and boosting renewable energy sources.

It will follow on from Cop27 in Egypt this November.

A statement carried by UAE state news agency Wam said the decision underlines the "venue's unique proposition as a state-of-the-art destination, which brought the world together in the UAE for six months".

"Both Expo 2020 and Cop28 share similar objectives: achieving sustainability and promoting international action as essential steps towards facing global challenges."

The selection of Dubai Expo City as a venue for Cop28 builds on the legacy and message of "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future".

Key goals of Expo 2020 were sustainability, opportunity, and mobility, while showcasing the site's sustainable infrastructure.

The conference is expected to attract more than 45,000 participants daily, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts and representatives of civil society organisations.

It will run for 12 days from November 6-17, 2023.

The new city, unveiled on Monday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, will be a global centre for innovation and creativity, he said.