SME CLIMATE HUB PARTNERS WITH THE COP28 PRESIDENCY TO HELP BUSINESSES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA REDUCE EMISSIONS
We Mean Business Coalition- The SME Climate Hub provides small and medium-sized enterprises with free resources to help reduce emissions.
- By making the SME Climate Commitment, businesses are counted in the United Nations’-backed Race to Zero campaign.
- The SME Climate Hub is now available in Arabic for the first time.
New York, NY – 03 October, 2023: The COP28 Presidency in collaboration with the SME Climate Hub and We Mean Business Coalition, have launched a campaign to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) implement net-zero strategies. COP28 & SME Climate Hub for MENA was developed to elevate the role of SMEs in the climate process and has made the SME Climate Hub available in Arabic. Through the collaboration with the COP28 Presidency, the SME Climate Hub will expand its reach in the MENA region, which relies on the resilience of its SMEs.
Launched in partnership with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company – Masdar and supported by First Abu Dhabi Bank and the Abu Dhabi Chamber, COP28 & SME Climate Hub for MENA will help businesses with under 500 employees to make a globally recognized climate commitment and be counted in the United Nations’-backed Race to Zero campaign. It will also provide access to free tools and resources which will allow SMEs to implement emissions reduction strategies across their businesses.
H.E. Majid Al Suwaidi, Director-General and Special Representative, COP28, said, “SMEs comprise up to 90% of all businesses in the Middle East and North Africa, hence they form a major part of the region’s economy and have an integral role to play in accelerating MENA’s transition to net zero. Expanding the SME Climate Hub’s regionalization in MENA will help us to deliver the most inclusive COP to date, support SMEs with their climate goals and ensure they are a vital part of our collective efforts to keep 1.5C within reach.”
H.E. Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion, COP28, said: “Climate action is an all-of-society mandate and endeavor. Businesses of all sizes are essential in accelerating our green transition to a net-zero, nature-positive future. At the same time, a robust climate strategy benefits companies by unlocking growth opportunities and future-proofing their businesses. The MENA SME Climate Hub will be a turning point for small and medium-sized businesses in the region to commit to a recognized climate goal, access practical tools and resources, and build business resilience.”
The SME Climate Hub was founded by the We Mean Business Coalition, the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, and the United Nations Race to Zero campaign to provide tools and resources for SMEs to make a globally recognized climate commitment, take positive action, and measure their progress towards emissions reductions. Businesses which join the SME Climate Hub community officially commit to halving emissions by 2030, becoming net zero before 2050, and reporting on their progress yearly.
By cutting emissions businesses have the opportunity to lower production costs, increase efficiency, and gain greater access to capital and markets with environmental demands and regulations. Over 6,800 SMEs across 127 different countries have already made the commitment, with a growing number from the MENA region.
María Mendiluce, CEO of We Mean Business Coalition, a founding partner of the SME Climate Hub, said, “Through this expansion, the SME Climate Hub will mobilize small and medium sized businesses in MENA to take climate action and help build more resilient companies and communities in the region. At COP28, the We Mean Business Coalition will host the Business Pavilion for Climate Leadership to ensure companies large and small are at the forefront of these crucial discussions in Dubai. We look forward to working with the COP28 Presidency and partners across business and government to drive the transformative change needed to tackle the climate crisis.”
Following COP28, Masdar, with the support of First Abu Dhabi Bank, will lead recruitment of SMEs to the SME Climate Hub for MENA to ensure continued support for regional SMEs.
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said, “SMEs will play a vital role in ensuring that countries across the Middle East achieve their net zero targets. As the UAE’s global clean energy pioneer, Masdar is dedicated to accelerating the energy transition at home and abroad. We are proud to be partnered with the SME Climate Hub and committed to leveraging our resources and networks to support SMEs in the UAE and across the region to reduce emissions, for a cleaner and greener future for all.”
Hana Al Rostamani, Group Chief Executive Officer of First Abu Dhabi Bank, said, “Integrating businesses into the net zero transition is fundamental to achieving global climate goals, and SMEs must be part of this effort. The COP28 and SME Climate Hub platform allows us to bring SMEs into the center of climate action and provides them with opportunities for growth in a low-carbon future.”
For more information on the COP28 & SME Climate Hub for MENA and to make a climate commitment, please visit www.cop28.com/en/cop28-mena-sme-climate-hub.
COP28 will begin on 30 November in the UAE with a fortnight of negotiations, opening with commitments from global leaders, bringing forward solutions, and concluding with an agreed negotiated text that helps course-correct to keep 1.5°C within reach and enhance global resilience. The Presidency’s key focus areas are fast-tracking the energy transition and slashing emissions before 2030; transforming climate finance, by delivering on old promises and setting the framework for a new deal on finance; putting nature, people, lives and livelihoods at the heart of climate action and mobilizing for the most inclusive COP ever.
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