Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
His Excellency Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber is the President for COP28, the 2023 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties, which will be held at Dubai Expo City in Dubai, UAE, in November 2023.
He is also a member of the Federal Cabinet of the UAE, and holds the position of the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology. He has also served as the UAE’s Special Envoy on Climate Change since 2020, a role he previously played from 2010 to 2016 as well. In addition, he has participated in several of the previous COPs, notably the significant COP21 held in Paris in 2015.
In 2009, he was appointed by the then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to serve on the Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change (AGECC), which published its final report in 2010. The Sustainable Energy for All initiative launched in 2011 was based on the recommendations from this report.
Dr. Al Jaber is also a distinguished member on the boards of multiple organisations across the UAE, including:
- Chairman of Emirates Development Bank
- Board member of Abu Dhabi Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs
- Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence
- Director General of the Zayed Future Energy Prize
- Board member of Emirates Global Aluminum
- Member of the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Group on Sustainable Energy for All
- Former Chairman of Abu Dhabi Ports Company (2009-2019)
- Former Chairman of UAE National Media Council
Currently, as the UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Dr. Al Jaber is responsible for expanding the industrial development of the UAE and promoting in-country value through the use of advanced technology. He has also been instrumental in the UAE’s transition away from oil towards renewable energy sources, and expanding its contribution to the global movement towards sustainable energy. He was also primarily responsible for winning the global bid to host the headquarters of IRENA (the international renewable energy agency), which is currently based in Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Al Jaber was born in the UAE and has a diverse educational background. He holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California in the United States; a PhD in business and economics from Coventry University in the United Kingdom; and an MBA from the California State University at Los Angeles. Since 2013, he has served as a member of the UAE cabinet, holding the position of Minister of State of the UAE until July 2020, when he was appointed as the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology.
COP28 refers to the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is hosted by the UAE and the event will take place in November 2023 at Expo City Dubai.
His Excellency Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and the UAE’s Special Envoy on Climate Change, is the President for COP28.
The main goal of COP28 is to “unite the world towards agreement on bold, practical and ambitious solutions to the most pressing global challenge of our time” – climate change. Under the leadership of HE Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the primary responsibility of the COP28 UAE Presidency will be to ensure that the climate change conference produces a well-defined action plan, with targeted initiatives to address gaps in progress.
HE Dr Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, is the UAE’s Special Envoy on Climate Change. He has served in this position for two tenures, first from 2010 to 2016, and then from 2020 until the present.
Dr. Al Jaber has been the recipient of several distinguished awards throughout his career. In 2012, he was recognised with the United Nations flagship award "Champion of the Earth" for his exceptional leadership and vision in policy, science, and entrepreneurship. The following year, 2013, he was appointed an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
In 2019, Dr. Al Jaber received a lifetime achievement award from the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, for his significant contributions to energy security, building bridges to emerging Asian economies, and transforming traditional energy business models.
