Dubai, UAE – The United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), an independent climate action organisation, have announced a partnership to accelerate climate action initiatives to support the Paris Agreement.

The two organisations will collaborate to develop and promote four key areas of impact to accelerate progress against climate goals, aiming to keep the global average temperature rise as close as possible to 1.5 ºC. The four areas of cooperation are climate finance, capacity building for markets including a special focus on youth and women, carbon markets, and innovations and technology.

At a ceremony in Dubai on Tuesday 28 November, Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President & CEO of UICCA, and Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to mark their shared ambition.

Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President & CEO of UICCA commented: “Climate change has no borders, and no single solution. We need a hyper-collaborative approach to solve this urgent global challenge. Bringing together UICCA’s advocacy capabilities and experience of breaking down barriers to innovation, and UNFCCC’s unique global climate expertise and access, this partnership will drive forward meaningful action at a time when we need it the most.”

To accelerate the development of climate technology, UICCA will support start-ups within the UNFCCC’s innovation network to expand into the UAE and wider region, leveraging the UAE’s unique qualities as an R&D hub and innovation-friendly destination for piloting new technologies. UICCA advocates for effective policy and regulation to accelerate climate innovation by convening the public and private sectors, as well as communities, to co-create solutions for implementing new technologies.

To empower women and youth to adapt to challenges associated with global warming in their lives, the UICCA and UNFCCC will collaborate to facilitate training and capacity building and explore avenues to raise the voice of those who will be the most impacted by climate change. In line with its mission to increase access to the climate debate, earlier this month UICCA launched Climate Call, an interactive platform to crowdsource and accelerate innovative climate action ideas from around the world. So far, more than 200 young people and university students have generating over 70 ideas across three challenges: food security, water scarcity, and renewable energy.

About UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA): 

UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA) works to propel the growth of a thriving green economy in the UAE and around the world. By convening the public and private sectors, as well as communities, UICCA advances green financing frameworks and advocates for effective policy and regulation, in order to accelerate the development and implementation of practical climate technology solutions.

Each of UICCA’s projects and initiatives is designed to achieve tangible impact and measurable results in the journey to a more sustainable future. These include a launchpad programme that accelerates climate tech solutions by providing extensive, tailored support to entrepreneurs and promising startups, and a think tank that develops and publishes research reports and policy papers.

UICCA oversees a number of community engagement platforms that raise awareness, host dialogues, and galvanise ideas and actions, including The Climate Tribe, a UAE-based social enterprise dedicated to inspiring climate action and Climate Call, which crowdsources climate ideas from around the world, with three key focus areas: food security, water scarcity, and renewable energy. UICCA is also the driving force behind a series of partnerships and sector alliances, including the UAE Carbon Alliance – a coalition of partners dedicated to advance the development of a carbon market ecosystem in the UAE.

UICCA was founded and is led by Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, alongside a diverse team of experts in climate research, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.

For further information and to stay up to date on news and announcements, please visit: www.uicca.ae
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Contacts:
Elda Kulenovic
UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators
E-mail: elda.kulenovic@uicca.ae
Sherri Chua
Brunswick Group
E-mail: UICCA@brunswickgroup.com