President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan honoured several global dignitaries with the First Class Order of Zayed II for their contributions to the success of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), hosted by the UAE.
The ceremony, held in Abu Dhabi, saw His Highness express gratitude to the awardees for their efforts that led to the historic UAE Consensus, a framework for global climate action and sustainability, reads a press release.
He emphasised the legacy of sustainability established by the UAE’s Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, highlighting the UAE's commitment to supporting sustainability, promoting effective climate action, and ensuring equitable development.
His Highness praised the spirit of global cooperation demonstrated at COP28, reiterating the UAE's commitment to enhancing international cooperation and advancing climate action.
The event was attended by prominent UAE officials including Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Adviser for Special Affairs at the Presidential Court; Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President; Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Hamed, Chairman of the National Media Office (NMO), among others.
Posthumously honoured was the late Prof Saleemul Huq, a COP28 Presidency Advisory Committee member, whose family received the award in recognition of his work on the Loss and Damage Fund and advocacy for equitable climate action.
The honourees included:
- Dan Jørgensen, Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, Denmark.
- Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, Egypt.
- Dr. Muawieh Radaideh, Minister of Environment, Jordan.
- Alioune Ndoye, Former Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development, and Ecology Transition, Senegal.
- Ruslan Edelgeriev, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Russia.
- Ambassador Pedro Luis Pedroso Cuesta, former Chairman of G77 and China, Cuba.
- Ambassador Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr. Pa'olelei Luteru , Permanent Representative to UN, Samoa.
- Mark Carney, UN Special Envoy for Climate Action.
- Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, CEO, Sustainable Markets Initiative.
- Kate Hampton, CEO, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
- Badr Jafar, CEO, Crescent Enterprises.
- Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group.
- Larry Fink, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock.
- Dr. Vera Songwe, Chair and Founder of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility.
- Hindou Ibrahim, President of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad.
- Prof. Carlos Lopes, Chair of the African Climate Foundation Board.
- Dr Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.
- Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency.
- Olafur Ragnar Grimsson , former President of Iceland.
- John Kerry, former US Presidential Climate Envoy.
