11 CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY IN THE ARAB REGION
305
Role in the UNFCCC
The UAE has traditionally been a quiet player in the UN climate change
negotiations, which makes analysing its role difficult. The country rarely
takes the floor in formal or semi-formal (contact group and informal
consultation) negotiating settings, and it rarely issues independent written
submissions of views (similarly to most other Arab Group countries).
The UAE’s positions are broadly in line with those of the developing countries’ main negotiating bloc, the Group of 77 and China
(G-77/China), and the Arab Group, which both participate actively in
the negotiations through issue-based country coordinators and make
written submissions of views. The G-77/China generally emphasises
issues around developed countries’ responsibility to lead, need for further
climate finance for developing countries, importance of adaptation (and
adaptation finance) and alignment with developing countries’ poverty
alleviation and broader sustainable development efforts. 14 The Arab
Group, in addition, has consistently stressed issues related to response
measures, calling for assistance to its members’ economic diversification efforts and expressing opposition to any ‘unilateral trade measures
in the name of climate change’ (such as emission trading systems or
carbon taxes) that could impact exports from developing to developed
countries. 15
In the first half of the 2010s, the UAE was one of only two Arab
countries, alongside Lebanon, participating in the Cartagena Dialogue,
a bridgebuilding forum for progressive countries from various regions.
Also differentiating itself from many other Arab countries, the UAE did
not join the conservative Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs)
group, formed in 2012 as a response to pressure felt by many emerging
and middle-income economies to do more from groups including the
EU, Alliance of Small Island States and Least Developed Countries. 16 At
the same time, the UAE has also not spoken out against the LMDCs’
views, which in many instances coincided with those of the Arab Group
in the negotiations in the run-up to the 2015 Paris Agreement and in the
negotiations on its rulebook that ended in 2018.
Domestic Policy Evolution and Main Elements
Climate change emerged on the UAE’s policy agenda in a significant way
in the late 2000s, following the establishment of Abu Dhabi’s Masdar
305
Role in the UNFCCC
The UAE has traditionally been a quiet player in the UN climate change
negotiations, which makes analysing its role difficult. The country rarely
takes the floor in formal or semi-formal (contact group and informal
consultation) negotiating settings, and it rarely issues independent written
submissions of views (similarly to most other Arab Group countries).
The UAE’s positions are broadly in line with those of the developing countries’ main negotiating bloc, the Group of 77 and China
(G-77/China), and the Arab Group, which both participate actively in
the negotiations through issue-based country coordinators and make
written submissions of views. The G-77/China generally emphasises
issues around developed countries’ responsibility to lead, need for further
climate finance for developing countries, importance of adaptation (and
adaptation finance) and alignment with developing countries’ poverty
alleviation and broader sustainable development efforts. 14 The Arab
Group, in addition, has consistently stressed issues related to response
measures, calling for assistance to its members’ economic diversification efforts and expressing opposition to any ‘unilateral trade measures
in the name of climate change’ (such as emission trading systems or
carbon taxes) that could impact exports from developing to developed
countries. 15
In the first half of the 2010s, the UAE was one of only two Arab
countries, alongside Lebanon, participating in the Cartagena Dialogue,
a bridgebuilding forum for progressive countries from various regions.
Also differentiating itself from many other Arab countries, the UAE did
not join the conservative Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs)
group, formed in 2012 as a response to pressure felt by many emerging
and middle-income economies to do more from groups including the
EU, Alliance of Small Island States and Least Developed Countries. 16 At
the same time, the UAE has also not spoken out against the LMDCs’
views, which in many instances coincided with those of the Arab Group
in the negotiations in the run-up to the 2015 Paris Agreement and in the
negotiations on its rulebook that ended in 2018.
Domestic Policy Evolution and Main Elements
Climate change emerged on the UAE’s policy agenda in a significant way
in the late 2000s, following the establishment of Abu Dhabi’s Masdar