UAE joins high-level sessions at Petersberg Climate Dialogue
Ministerial meetings and reaffirmation of UAE's commitment
Balalaa held a series of ministerial meetings in Berlin, reaffirming the UAE's commitment to international cooperation in climate action, energy transition, water resource management, and sustainable development.
Key discussions with prominent officials
During his visit, Balalaa met with prominent German and international officials, including Stefan Wenzel, Jochen Flasbarth, Eva Kracht, and Simon Stiell. The discussions focused on enhancing multilateral climate efforts, advancing COP28 outcomes, and exploring cooperation opportunities between the UAE and Germany in clean energy and climate finance.
Addressing the 2026 UN Water Conference
The meetings also addressed preparations for the UAE's co-hosting of the United Nations Water Conference in 2026, emphasizing water's critical role in achieving climate goals and boosting resilience to climate change.
UAE's commitment to global climate action
Abdulla Balalaa stated that the UAE is committed to working closely with global partners to accelerate climate action and the energy transition. He highlighted the importance of water in enhancing resilience to climate change and ensuring natural resource security.
UAE's leadership in global climate diplomacy
The visit comes as part of the UAE's leadership in global climate diplomacy following the successful hosting of COP28 and its ongoing efforts to drive progress toward climate neutrality. The meetings reinforced the UAE's role as a strategic partner in international sustainability, energy, and water resource management.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
3 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Mercedes-Benz proposes tariff offset system with US
5 June 2025 17:16 BERLIN (Reuters) Mercedes-Benz has proposed a deal under which US cars could be imported into Europe duty-free in exchange for tariff waivers on the same number of vehicles that EU automakers export to the US, the company's CEO said in a German magazine interview."For every car that leaves the USA or Europe, a car from the other side comes in duty-free," Ola Kaellenius told Spiegel. "We have put this idea to both sides and it is a possible component of the negotiations between the USA and the EU."Such a deal could act as a precedent for other industries, Kaellenius and German rivals BMW and Volkswagen, are in talks with Washington over a possible import tariff deal, sources told Reuters last a separate interview with the Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper also published Thursday, Kaellenius said Mercedes-Benz was available as a "sounding board" for - and to contribute ideas to - EU and US trade talks."As a company, we hold talks with political decision-makers - in the EU as well as in China and the US," said Kaellenius."However, negotiations take place at the EU level because trade policy falls within the EU's remit. We are available as a sounding board, contributing ideas and presenting scenarios showing how certain decisions would affect us," he added. Kaellenius' interviews were published hours before Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, holds his first face-to-face talks with US President Donald Trump as Europe seeks to stave off looming US tariffs.
Channel Post MEA
18 hours ago
- Channel Post MEA
Securenet Partners with Premium-Line to Offer Structured Cabling Solutions in the UAE
SecureNet Distribution, a leading value-added distributor in the Middle East announced its strategic partnership with Premium-Line, a globally recognized manufacturer of high-performance structured cabling systems. This collaboration marks a significant expansion of SecureNet's product portfolio and reinforces its commitment to delivering world-class infrastructure solutions that meet the demands of today's rapidly evolving digital environment. Premium-Line, with its German-engineered copper and fiber optic cabling solutions, has earned a strong global reputation for reliability, compliance, and performance across mission-critical industries including data centers, smart buildings, and government networks. Robert Grischany, Managing Director of Premium-Line, commented: 'As we embark on our collaboration with SecureNet, Premium-Line holds high expectations for reliability, professionalism, and quality. Based on their strong reputation, we are confident that they will deliver the level of service and commitment that aligns with our values and supports our future success.' The partnership will enable both companies to serve the growing connectivity needs of enterprises and system integrators in the UAE. Leveraging SecureNet's robust distribution network and Premium-Line's globally trusted technology, customers will benefit from scalable, standards-compliant, and future-proof cabling solutions. Melwin D'Souza, CEO of SecureNet Distribution, stated: 'At SecureNet, we continuously strive to bring trusted global brands to our regional partners. Our alliance with Premium-Line not only enhances our structured cabling portfolio but also reinforces our commitment to offering robust, future-proof solutions. We are excited to work closely with the Premium-Line team and drive innovation together in the UAE.' With a shared vision of innovation, quality, and customer-centricity, this partnership is expected to unlock new opportunities for growth and technology leadership across the ICT ecosystem.
Middle East Eye
a day ago
- Middle East Eye
How Germany's former foreign minister failed Gaza - then got a top UN job
United Nations member states on Monday confirmed the nomination of Germany's former foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, as the next president of the General Assembly. As leader of its 80th session, Baerbock will oversee the work of the UN organ, which serves as a forum for all 193 member states to coordinate on international issues. Her nomination was controversial from the outset, as she was accused of snatching the job away from seasoned German diplomat Helga Schmid, who played a key role in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Germany had initially nominated Schmid for the job, but later replaced her with Baerbock, who lost her cabinet position after the February election. In her acceptance speech on Monday, Baerbock affirmed her respect for international humanitarian law and her commitment to safeguard 'a world in which every human can live in peace and dignity'. A look at her performance as foreign minister, however, does not reveal a track record of upholding human rights, but rather an utter failure on this front, amid German state complicity in the Gaza genocide. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Baerbock assumed office in 2021 with a self-proclaimed 'feminist foreign policy' as her guiding principle, vowing that her efforts as foreign minister would focus on the 'rights, representation and resources' of women and marginalised groups. Protecting women in armed conflict was among her 10 key guidelines. Yet during her tenure as foreign minister, Israel waged its genocidal campaign in Gaza, now approaching its 20th month. More than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than half of whom were women and children, according to local health officials. Amid this onslaught, Germany has continued to supply Israel with hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons. Between 7 October 2023 and mid-May 2025, the German government says it issued export licences for arms deliveries to Israel totalling 485.1 million euros ($554.3m), although the pace of exports was considerably higher in the first few months of the war, before international criticism began to mount. Complicity in genocide Under the banner of Germany's Staatsrason ('reason of state'), the controversial idea that Germany's national interest is contingent on Israel's security, former Chancellor Olaf Scholz led Germany into complicity in genocide once again. The mantra of 'standing firmly' by Israel's side has been repeated countless times by various German officials, becoming more painful with every step of Gaza's deepening humanitarian crisis. As foreign minister, Baerbock could have done much to oppose this. She chose not to. Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war This is not to say that she expressed no concerns over Israel's actions in Gaza or the plight of civilians. Baerbock repeatedly stressed the importance of adhering to international humanitarian law, called for a ceasefire, and highlighted the need for more aid to enter the besieged territory. At the same time, however, she continuously reiterated Israel's right to 'self-defence', thus undermining her appeals to help the Palestinian population of Gaza and making her an easy target for allegations of hypocrisy. Her speech last October stands as a case in point. 'Self-defence means not only attacking terrorists but destroying them. When Hamas terrorists hide behind people, behind schools … civilian places lose their protected status because terrorists abuse it,' Baerbock said during a parliamentary session marking the anniversary of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. As she prepares to lead the 80th UN General Assembly, Baerbock has yet to acknowledge mistakes in her approach to Gaza She added: 'That's why I clearly conveyed to the UN that civilian areas could lose their protected status because they are being abused by terrorists.' Just days before her speech, Israeli forces had targeted another school and mosque sheltering displaced people in central Gaza, killing more than two dozen Palestinians. Between October 2023 and April 2024, Baerbock held seven meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But she failed to publicly advocate for the rights of Palestinian women in armed conflict, a notion central to her 'feminist foreign policy' - even as countless women in Gaza have suffered miscarriages or watched their children starve. A recent report by an independent UN commission found that Israel's systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities, coupled with restrictions on medical supplies, had caused the deaths of mothers and newborns, noting that Israeli forces had 'intentionally inflicted these conditions of life on the Palestinians in Gaza, in particular women, girls and young children' and that 'such acts amount to the crime against humanity of extermination'. Baerbock has not commented on the report. Rhetorical shift In response to Baerbock's October 2024 speech justifying Israeli attacks on civilian sites, more than 300 academics co-signed a letter calling on the German government to retract her comments and apologise. Meanwhile, an online petition calling for her resignation was signed by thousands of people. If Baerbock was serious about human rights and women's safety, then the right move would have been to step away from a government that has backed Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. No genuine 'feminist foreign policy' could be reconcilable with such atrocities. But to this day, as she prepares to lead the 80th UN General Assembly, Baerbock has yet to acknowledge mistakes in her approach to Gaza. What is behind Germany's complicity in Israel's Gaza genocide? Read More » Her government's lack of action is made even more tragic in light of the recent change of rhetoric towards Israel by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who assumed office last month. Shortly after his February election victory, Merz vowed to find 'ways and means' for Netanyahu to visit Germany. The German public barely batted an eyelid at the fact that this would contravene the arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister issued by the International Criminal Court, an institution that Germany played a significant role in establishing. After all, his comments were nothing out of the ordinary for state officials. But last week saw a 180-degree rhetorical shift. Merz, supposedly much more conservative than his social democrat predecessor, Scholz, uttered the words that longtime critics of Germany's support for the war never thought they would hear: 'What the Israeli army is now doing in the Gaza Strip - I no longer understand frankly what its objective is,' Merz said in a televised interview. 'To cause such suffering to the civilian population, as has increasingly been the case in recent days, can no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas terrorism.' The fact that it took more than 54,000 slain Palestinians, the total destruction of Gaza, and widely circulated images of starving children, for a German chancellor to reconsider the state's unwavering support for Israel is hard to grasp. Even harder to grasp is the fact that a former foreign minister, whose government stands accused of aiding a genocide, can assume a top position at the very organisation dedicated to preventing genocide and upholding international law. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
