DUBAI — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today concluded the U.S. Chamber’s GreenTech Business Delegation to the United Arab Emirates ahead of COP28 in Dubai this November. The trade mission—the largest between the U.S. and the UAE this year—was certified by the U.S. Department of Commerce and featured high level government and business leaders from both nations.
The purpose of the GreenTech mission is to connect leading U.S. businesses with potential investment opportunities in the UAE, and to learn about plans and priorities for COP28. Over 127 delegates from 68 businesses participated in the mission, ranging from large multinational corporations to startups.
“The business community is committed to delivering the solutions needed to combat global climate change, as evidenced by such strong participation in our GreenTech mission,” said Marty Durbin, senior vice president for policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the co-leader of the Chamber’s delegation.
“Over the past week, our delegation of businesses small and large had the opportunity to connect directly with senior business and government leaders in the UAE to discuss mutually beneficial investments and projects in the UAE," said Khush Choksy, senior vice president Middle East & Turkey at the U.S. Chamber who co-led the mission.
“It is my honor to welcome the U.S. Chamber of Commerce delegation to the UAE to discuss the PACE partnership, focused on providing clean energy, boosting infrastructure spending, and helping to rein in emissions. PACE has ambitions to deliver $100 billion for 100 GW of clean energy by 2035 and that’s just the beginning. We need every country and every company working towards similarly ambitious goals, and COP28 is the moment to embark with us on that journey. I have no doubt that working together, in the spirit of inclusivity and solidarity, and with our collective commitment to action and ambition, we can unlock all of this and more,” said H.E. Dr. Majid Al Suwaidi, Director General and Special Representative of COP28.
“The U.S. private sector is leading the way in many respects, both innovating and deploying those technologies needed to decarbonize the global economy. We look forward to supporting these private sector efforts, including through the U.S.-UAE Partnership to Accelerate Clean Energy,” said Ambassador David Thorne, Senior Advisor to U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.
Last year, the Chamber led a successful GreenTech mission to Egypt with more than 40 companies in advance of COP27. The Chamber is now working with U.S. Government partners to develop additional GreenTech missions to other countries.
The U.S. government was represented on the mission by Ambassador David Thorne, Senior Advisor to U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, Diane Farrell, Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and Jake Levine, Chief Climate Officer of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.
The Delegation met with a number of Ministers and senior government leaders from the UAE, including H.E. Dr. Majid Al Suwaidi, Director General and Special Representative of COP28; H.E. Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28; H.E. Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri, Minster of Climate Change and Environment; H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade; H.E. Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications; H.E. Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Global Market and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development; and H.E. Eng. Awaidha Murshed Ali Al Marar, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy.
The U.S. Chamber is planning a substantial engagement at COP28 in the UAE in December to highlight the important role the private sector has in developing and deploying innovative clean energy technology.
