Pope Francis and King Charles III. Photo: Instagram.com
King Charles III and Pope Francis will soon make their way to Dubai to attend Cop28. The global climate action summit is scheduled to take place from November 30 to December 12, and bring together over 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, and industry leaders from around the world to discuss urgent issues.
The attendance will mark the British royalty’s first official visit to the UAE since becoming king. At the opening ceremony of the summit on December 1, the monarch will address world leaders in a speech, and will later “take the opportunity to have meetings with regional leaders,” a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said. Known for his work in environmental activism, the king was invited to Cop28 by HH President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The summit will also see King Charles III launch the inaugural COP28 Business and Philanthropy Climate Forum, which is aimed at bringing world business and philanthropic leaders together to “accelerate climate and nature solutions and drive delivery and results,” Buckingham Place stated.
Pope Francis announced his attendance at Cop28 on Italian television, adding that he would stay in Dubai from December 1-3. Speaking to the RAI network on Wednesday, the pontiff stressed the crucial need to take care of the environment—a cause that has remained a priority during his papacy. “We are still in time to stop it,” Francis said. “Our future is at stake, the future of our children and our grandchildren. A bit of responsibility is needed.”
Cop28 UAE will held at the site of Expo 2020 Dubai, and will have two zones: The Blue Zone, which is a UNFCCC-managed site, open to accredited party and observer delegates, and the Green Zone, which is a platform to promote dialogue and awareness about climate action and is open to non-accredited delegates.
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