Riyadh, January 12, 2023, SPA -- Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al Hajraf has affirmed that the United Arab Emirates’ hosting of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – COP 28 for the year 2023 comes at a crucial stage in view of the negative effects that the countries of the world suffer from due to climate change, loss of biodiversity, and the challenges facing energy security, food, and water security. Furthermore, the Secretary General stressed that holding the COP 28 session in the United Arab Emirates will constitute an important milestone in a crucial decade for climate action, laying out a road map to enhance measures related to both mitigation and adaptation, achieving a practical and just transition in the energy sector for the countries of the world, and increasing climate financing for the most important parties affected by climate change and activating the compensation fund for losses and damages in cooperation with the UNFCCC. --SPA 14:23 LOCAL TIME 11:23 GMT 0008 www.spa.gov.sa/w1839013