The CEO of the national oil company of the United Arab Emirates was appointed on Thursday as the president of the 28th session of the UN Climate Conference (COP28), which will take place in 2023 in this country in the Persian Gulf region, provoking strong criticism among environmental activists, AFP informs, Agerpres reads.

Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, Minister of Industry of the United Arab Emirates and CEO of the oil giant ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company), who is also a special envoy for climate change, will be the first CEO in the world to chair a COP session, according to in a statement published on Thursday by the WAM news agency.

„We will promote a pragmatic, realistic and solution-focused approach,” said Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, quoted in the same statement.

„Climate action represents a huge economic opportunity to invest in sustainable development. Financing is key,” he added.

The Saudi official has headed ADNOC since 2016, as well as Masdar, the Saudi company for promoting renewable energies.

However, his dual activity has attracted criticism from environmental activists.

„The appointment of Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber to the presidency of COP28, given that he holds the position of CEO of the national oil company in Abu Dhabi, represents a scandalous conflict of interest”, reacted Harjeet Singh, from the organization Climate Action Network International.

„The constant threat of lobbyists from the fossil fuel industry during the UN climate negotiations has always weakened the outcomes of climate conferences, but this situation reaches a new level of dangerousness that is unprecedented,” he added.

Agerpres