OPEC to Host “Special Pavilion” at COP28

OPEC will send a delegation to the COP28 in Dubai and host a special pavilion there, the group said in a press release, adding that the delegation will be led by secretary-general Haitham al Ghais and include experts from OPEC’s Environmental Matters Department.

“We are immensely proud that our Member Country the United Arab Emirates will host this important global gathering during a critical juncture in history,” Al Ghais said.

The pavilion will promote the “remarkable efforts undertaken by the Organization and its Member Countries in developing, adopting and promoting various sustainable development and climate change mitigation initiatives and projects, especially with relation to the energy industry.”

“World leaders, decision-makers and leading experts, including officials of OPEC Member Countries, have descended on Dubai to hold discussions and crucial negotiations on global issues with far-reaching implications.”

The choice of a venue for the COP28 and the presidency of Adnoc’s chief executive Sultan Al Jaber have become a target for activist attacks since Adnoc is one of the biggest producers of oil in the Middle East.

OPEc’s participation, first announced in October, likely did not lead to cheers from the environmentalist crowd, either. Some analysts have noted, however, that this edition of the Conference of the Parties looks like it would be more of a trade fair than anything else, with three times as many attendees as previous COPs and pavilions like the one announced by OPEC itself.

Earlier this week, the latest scandal erupted when the BBC reported, citing leaked documents, that the UAE planned to use COP28 to seal oil deals. The report cited some of the information contained in these documents as consisting of talking points for potential business negotiations with, for example, China, on topics such as LNG exports from Mozambique, Canada, and Australia.

Al-Jaber slammed the report, saying "These allegations are false, not true, incorrect and not accurate," and adding that the aim of the report was to undermine the COP28 presidency.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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