As usual, The United Arab Emirates believes in taking pro-active action. The conditions & climate of all the countries are different therefore different strategies are required to achieve the common goal.

The UAE delegation to the climate change conference COP21 was very active in negotiation rooms in Paris on 04-Dec-15 as they look to create a framework to reduce global emissions and warming to less than 2C by 2050.

Majid Al Suwaidi, lead climate change negotiator for the UAE, said the fact that now, more than ever, the negotiations are trying to strike a balance between allowing developing countries to develop freely while also making more developed countries carry a bigger responsibility.

The problems are all related to how you differentiate the responsibilities between countries developed and developing, he said.

Mr Al Suwaidi said that the final agreement from Paris should reach a consensus while also taking into account countries? specific circumstances.

We have to understand that everyone has different abilities, he said For instance, us in the UAE we have solar power but we do not have hydro or other resources, our environment is difficult and that makes our contribution different than, for example, Switzerland?s.

The COP21 forum takes place on 07- & 08- Dec-15 at the Stade de France in Paris.

Just a few days ago, country?s first agricultural policy was submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Water. The target is to make the farming more environmentally friendly, efficient and profitable.

Formulated by the United Nations? Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), along with agricultural organisations in the UAE, the 126-page-document includes policies on improving the country?s agro-food system.

It will be the essential document for everything that the UAE will implement in the field of agriculture towards the UAE vision 2021 and 2030, said Mehdi Drissi, FAO representative in the UAE and FAO sub regional coordinator for the GCC and Yemen.

The policy has implications on subsidies given to farms and farmers and will have to look at the national policy and do what is explicitly there.

It is necessary for all countries to have such a policy because it brings benefits.

The UAE are champions of sustainable development and the strategy focuses on that. It strongly takes into account what was decided in New York at the previous general assembly with the 17 new sustainable development goals and 169 objectives. The policy is based on that.

The document has outlined the next 15 years of agriculture in the UAE.

Its important for us to be aware of it because we?re running out of resources. We need to secure food and they need to come up with strategies to make sure there is enough food and resources in the future.

This & such related matters shows the firm stand & commitment of the UAE @ COP21.

Thanks for reading

Source,

Gulf News, Emirates 24X7