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As the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) gets underway at Expo City, Dubai from November 30 until December 12, here’s a look at all the big names confirmed to attend the summit.
CONFIRMED NAMES
King Charles
King Charles will deliver the opening address at the climate summit on December 1, along with take meetings with regional leaders, ahead of COP28.
On November 30, King Charles will attend a reception to launch the inaugural COP28 Business and Philanthropy Climate Forum. The two-day forum, running in parallel with the World Climate Action Summit being held at COP28 on December 1 and 2, is being hosted by the COP28 Presidency in partnership with the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), a private sector-led coalition founded by King Charles in 2020 to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable future.
Rishi Sunak
In September, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed he would be attending the COP28 summit in Dubai. Sunak told reporters traveling with him at the time that achieving net zero emissions “if done in the right way can be very beneficial for jobs,” according to Reuters.
His party has drawn flak in recent months after the government revised climate targets, which includes moving back the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by five years, a weakening of targets to phase out gas boilers, and not going ahead with a ban on new oil and gas development in the North Sea.
Narendra Modi
The country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Dubai on November 30 and December 1, attending the World Climate Action Summit (WCAS), which will also see King Charles in attendance. Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of COP28.
Bill Gates
The Microsoft co-founder announced back in September in a blog post on the Breakthrough Energy website that he would be attending COP28, writing: “The meeting is an important opportunity to check on the world’s progress toward the goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that countries adopted back in 2015.”
The Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy was founded in the same year with the aim to accelerate innovation in sustainable energy and in other technologies to combat climate change.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is also one of the strategic partners in the Business and Philanthropy Climate Forum being held at COP28, which will be attended by British Monarch, King Charles.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silv
Popularly known as ‘Lula’ by the masses who call him the ‘voice of the Amazon’, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Luda da Silv will be attending COP28, where he will unveil a plan to recover degraded pastures in Brazil, according to a Reuters report.
The news agency further reported the country also plans to propose a “huge” fund to pay for the conservation of tropical forests at the summit, citing the country’s top climate negotiator, Andre Correa do Lago.
Ding Xuexiang
While Chinese President Xi Jinping is not expected to attend, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Friday, confirming that Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang will attend the World Climate Summit, from November 30 until December 2. China’s climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, is also expected.
John Kerry
The US Climate Envoy John Kerry will also be attending the talks, representing one of the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses, the other being China. According to the South China Morning Post, China and the US will hold a joint summit on methane and non-carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gases during the UN climate change conference.
Vanessa Nakate
The 25-year-old climate activist from Uganda and founder of the Africa-based Rise Up Movement, is also expected to attend COP28.
Spiritual leaders
Sadhguru, founder and head of the Isha Foundation
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of The Art of Living foundation
World Evangelical Alliance General-Secretary Archbishop Dr Thomas Schirrmacher
Official delegates
High Commissioner of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Filippo Grandi
Adil Najam, President, WWF International
United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Nazila Ghanea
PROVISIONAL NAMES
According to the UNFCCC Provisional List of speakers, those expected to attend the World Climate Action Summit (WCAS) on December 1 will include:
From the Middle East
Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia
Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, President of Egypt
King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, King of Jordan
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar
Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine
Rashad Mohammed Ali Al-Alimi, President of Yemen
Other key leaders
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Türkiye
Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany
Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, President of Spain
Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark
Humza Yousaf, Scotland's first minister
Wavel Ramkalawan, President of the Republic of Seychelles
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei Darussalam
William K. Ruto, President of Kenya
Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe
Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of United Republic of Tanzania
Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda
Rumoured to attend…
Kamala Harris
According to Bloomberg, US Vice President Kamala Harris will attend COP28, citing people familiar with the matter. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also expected to attend the event that begins on Thursday. Meanwhile, The White House has also said it is sending a climate adviser Ali Zaidi and clean energy adviser John Podesta.
Greta Thunberg
While the famous Swedish climate activist did not participate in COP27 talks at the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt last year, it is being speculated that she could make an appearance at next week’s event in Dubai.
Hollywood celebrities
Big Hollywood names that have associated themselves with high-profile climate talks include the Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, along with Matt Damon, Idris Elba, Ellie Goulding, George and Amal Clooney, among others. It remains to be seen who the big names are to be associated at this year’s event.
(Reporting by Bindu Rai, editing by Daniel Luiz)