Successful GreenTech Mission to UAE Builds Momentum for COP28

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently concluded its GreenTech Business Mission to the United Arab Emirates ahead of COP28 in Dubai this November. The purpose of the GreenTech mission was to connect leading U.S. businesses with potential investment opportunities in the UAE, and to learn about plans and priorities for COP28. Over 127 delegates from 68 businesses participated in the mission, ranging from startups to multinational corporations.  

The trade mission was certified by the U.S. Department of Commerce and featured high-level government officials and business leaders from both countries. The U.S. government was represented on the mission by Ambassador David Thorne, Senior Advisor to U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, Diane Farrell, Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Jake Levine, Chief Climate Officer of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Sean Murphy, Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi, and Thomas Bruns, Regional Senior Commercial Officer for the Gulf. 

This UAE Mission built on last year’s successful GreenTech mission to Egypt in advance of COP27. As a result of the success of these missions, the Chamber is now working with the U.S. Government to develop additional GreenTech missions to other key countries. The delegation met with senior UAE officials in both  Abu Dhabi and Dubai, including H.E. Dr. Majid Al Suwaidi, Director General and Special Representative of COP28; H.E. Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28; H.E. Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment; H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade; H.E. Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, and many more.

Among many highlights, officials from both countries joined a panel discussion on the US-UAE Partnership to Accelerate Clean Energy (PACE) initiative, which aims to leverage $100 billion in financing, investment, and other support to deploy 100 new gigawatts (GW) of clean energy by 2035. Announced last November, PACE represents a shared commitment by two major energy-producing countries to a swift, responsible, and ambitious energy transition.

The U.S. Chamber’s delegation leaders — Marty Durbin, Senior Vice President of Policy and President of the Global Energy Institute, and Khush Choksy, Senior Vice President Middle East and Turkey – noted the mission’s success:

“The business community is committed to delivering the solutions needed to combat global climate change, as evidenced by such strong participation in our GreenTech mission,” said Durbin. “Our delegation of businesses, small and large, had the opportunity to connect directly with senior business and government leaders in the UAE to discuss mutually beneficial investments and projects in the UAE," said Choksy.

The U.S. Chamber was pleased to connect top U.S. businesses with the primary thought leaders for COP28.  As host, the UAE has declared this year’s climate conference a “COP of action and impact,” and we believe this could be one of the most important U.N. climate meetings ever held. We have an opportunity to highlight the leadership role the private sector is taking – and must take – to develop and deploy innovative technology to meet a growing global energy demand while addressing the climate challenge.

About the authors

Martin Durbin

Martin (Marty) Durbin is president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute (GEI). Durbin leads GEI’s efforts to build support for meaningful energy action through policy development, education, and advocacy, making it a go-to voice for commonsense energy solutions.

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Khush Choksy

He directs the development and implementation of policies and programs that promote U.S. trade and investment with markets in the region.

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