UAE, EU strengthen cooperation on energy, climate, water in lead-up to COP30, 2026 UN Water Conference
7 Mar 2025 20:48
BRUSSELS (WAM)Abdulla Ahmed Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, concluded a two-day trip, from the 6-7 March, to the European Union (EU) in Brussels, where he met with senior officials and stakeholders in the energy and water sectors.During the meetings, Abdulla Balalaa reaffirmed the UAE's close partnership with the EU, focusing on aligning efforts, cooperation and achieving progress in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency and water resilience.Balalaa's visit followed the 2026 United Nations Water Conference (UNWC26) Organisational Session in New York and coincides with EU Ocean Days in Brussels. During the visit, he was invited to take part in the EU's consultative process on reviewing the EU's water resilience strategy.At the consultative process, Balalaa highlighted the launch of the 2026 UNWC process, outlined the UAE's priorities for the conference and invited the international community to take part in working towards advancing innovative, inclusive and scalable solutions to water challenges.He further affirmed the UAE's commitment to deepening its cooperation with the EU in advancing climate action, energy transition, water resilience, and global sustainability. He also highlighted that discussions in Brussels were instrumental in driving forward the climate adaptation and energy related commitments made at the 28thConference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), which was held in Dubai in 2023, to ensure strong alignment with the EU ahead of the UN Ocean Conference 2025, COP30, and the 2026 UN Water Conference.The visit included meetings with a number of EU officials and the European Investment Bank (EIB) reinforcing bilateral relations to explore the potential to expand investments in clean energy, infrastructure, and water sustainability.Balalaa met with European Commission representatives: Ditte Juul-Jørgensen, Director-General for Energy; Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director-General of Environment; Kurt Vandenberghe, Director-General Climate Action; and Charlina Vitcheva, Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, in addition to representatives from the European External Action Service (EEAS).
The discussions focused on advancing joint efforts in water sustainability in the lead-up to 2026 UNWC, broader climate adaptation strategies, mitigating climate change, and enhancing cooperation ahead of the UN Ocean Conference 2025 in France.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
ECB's Lagarde says foreign investors are confident about Europe
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said on Thursday that the euro zone appeared to be attracting more foreign investment recently, in a sign that investors are increasingly confident in Europe's economic outlook. "I would say that the economy is responding quite well to our monetary policy, and is delivering on that front," Lagarde told reporters at her regular press conference after the bank's latest rate-setting meeting. "We perceive a serious momentum to improve, to change, to simplify, to streamline, and to encourage and .. welcome capital into Europe. And we are seeing it: The reverse Yankee bonds, significant increase that we have seen in the last few weeks, is a clear indication that there is trust in our system," she said. A reverse Yankee bond is a debt security issued by a U.S. company in a foreign market denominated in another currency, such as the euro. "The capital flow that we are seeing as well - whether it is European investment returning to Europe or a bit of non-European investment coming to Europe - all that is an indication that at least market forces, investors, those who move real money around, actually see value and have confidence in Europe."
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
Eswatini harnesses Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to grow exports
The digital economy is expected to account for 17% of the global economy by 2028, and businesses need to adapt their strategies. To prepare Eswatini firms to harness new digital trade opportunities, key business support organizations took part in a four-day training on market diversification, digital trade, and AI tools. The training brought together participants from the Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority and other key trade promotion and support institutions. 'The training aims at supporting businesses in Eswatini to take advantage of regional and global opportunities to create more jobs and foster inclusive growth,' said Luis Miguel Pascoal, EU Programme Officer. The EU funds the Eswatini: Promoting growth through competitive alliances programme, which implemented by ITC in partnership with the Eswatini Government. The workshop focused on practical skills to small businesses find new markets and embrace digital trade. They learned how to read market data to identify export opportunities and how to select digital channels — such as e-commerce platforms and social media — to reach international buyers. They also explored how AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity can help analyze market information and create marketing content tailored to different audiences. Through interactive exercises, they practiced generating product descriptions and social media posts, and analysing trade flow datasets with AI assistance. The participants also developed their own market diversification roadmaps, which lay out markets to target, digital channels to use, and AI tools to enhance their market entry. Business support organizations can use the roadmaps to guide small businesses in navigating new market opportunities. "This training will add so much value for Eswatini Foods, especially because we are already exporting to Scotland and Germany. We will continue to explore the AI tools introduced here to enhance our business content and improve our market analysis — especially as we target the EU market." Damien De Sousa, Head of Sales, Eswatini Foods. "We will use the tools we have learned from this training to help the women we support expand their market reach and explore export opportunities. The local market is limited due to population size, so digital tools and content creation skills are key. We also want them to understand how global trade policies affect their businesses." Lisa Maphanga, Liaison Officer, COMESA Federation of Women in Business – Eswatini Chapter. "The training was amazing! It gave me tools to explore new markets and access vital information I didn't know how to find before. I especially appreciated comparing e-commerce platforms and learning about the new AI tools, which I'll definitely continue using." Samkelisiwe Ndlangamandla, Reign Pot Consultancy. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.
Zawya
3 hours ago
- Zawya
Red Sea marine traffic up 60% after Houthis narrowed targets, EU commander says
Red Sea marine traffic has increased by 60% to 36-37 ships a day since August 2024, but is still short of volumes seen before Yemen's Houthis began attacking ships in the region, according to the commander of the EU's Aspides naval mission. The number of merchant ships using the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait increased after missile and drone attacks by the Houthis slowed and the U.S. and the rebel group signed a ceasefire deal, Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis said in an interview in Madrid. But shipping traffic, which reached a low of 20-23 ships daily in August last year, is still short of an average of 72-75 ships a day seen before the Houthis began attacks in the Red Sea in November in 2023 in support of Palestinians over Israel's war in Gaza, said Gryparis. The mission, which was established to safeguard navigation in the strategic trade route linking the Mediterranean with the Gulf of Asia through the Suez Canal, was extended in February when it was also tasked with tracking illegal arms shipments and monitoring vessels carrying sanctioned Russian oil. The last attack on a merchant ship took place in November 2024 and the Houthis have also narrowed their objectives, saying their targets are Israeli ships and ships that have a connection with Israel or have docked at an Israeli port, Gryparis said. "If you have a vessel that does not correspond to this criteria... there is a huge possibility - more than 99% - that you're not going to be targeted by the Houthis," Gryparis said. Still, Gryparis said he could not guarantee that merchant ships won't be attacked. Some companies have been deterred from using the route because of the mission's lack of ships, which can cause delays of as much as a week for those seeking to be escorted through the area, he said. He said the mission has between two and three ships operating at one time and has requested the EU provide it with 10 ships to increase its capacity for protection. The mission has provided close protection to 476 ships, shot down 18 drones, destroyed two remote-controlled boats used to attack ships and intercepted four ballistic missiles, he said. (Reporting by Charlie Devereux; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
