President Nechirvan Barzani invited to COP 28

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has officially invited the Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani to attend the United Nations’ top climate change conference in Dubai later this year, according to a statement.

UAE Consul General in Erbil Ahmed Aldhaheri on Sunday officially conveyed an invitation letter from his country’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to President Barzani to attend the high-profile event, a statement from the Kurdistan Region presidency read.

The COP28, shortened for the 28th Conference of Parties, is a flagship UN conference on climate change, for which top leaders around the world are gathering this year in the UAE’s Dubai to discuss the climate challenges as well as efforts to mitigate the risks.

Beginning on Dec. 1, the gathering will continue until Dec. 12. 

A delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Board of Environmental Protection and Improvement and representatives of the regional government’s relevant ministries are also set to take place at the global conference, Ahmed Mohammed, the Board’s spokesperson, told Kurdistan 24 on Saturday.

Exacerbated by climate change, drought has impacted many parts of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in recent years.

Iraq is ranked by the United Nations as the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to the adverse effects of climate change. Thousands have already been displaced, particularly in the southern parts, by drought, desertification, and increased salinity in the rivers.