The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, led a team of international policy experts and climate specialists from the Commonwealth Secretariat to COP28. 

View the event schedule at the Commonwealth Pavilion and follow #CommonwealthForClimate on social media.

See daily highlights from the Commonwealth Secretariat at COP28 below.

December 10

On Day 10 of COP28, the Commonwealth Secretariat and AGRA joined forces and signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will leverage digital innovations to help transform smallholder agriculture across Africa.  Read more about the partnership

Signing of Commonwealth and AGRA MoU at COP28
Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, and Dr Agnes Kalibata, President of AGRA, signed the MoU

See all photos on our Flickr album

December 9

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, delivered her statement to the High-Level Segment of COP28. She urged global action to reduce emissions, accelerate the energy transition and restore the natural world.

Decisive action, rooted in the sharpest honesty is the only way forward, she said.  Read more

 

 

At a high-level Blue Zone event, the Commonwealth Secretariat launched its joint report with YOUNGO, the official youth and children constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which analysed 100 climate finance initiatives targeted at young people. 

The report reveals that while young people are among those most at risk of climate change, they are not accessing the funds they need to tackle its impacts.

Learn more
Read the report: The Availability of Climate Finance for Youth
Catch up with the event recording

8 December

Day 8 was Youth Day at COP28. Commonwealth youth leaders called on governments to move beyond rhetoric and deliver concrete action to safeguard the planet.  Read more

At their intergenerational dialogue with the Commonwealth Secretary-General, they launched a report highlighting their climate concerns and actionable steps for world leaders to engage young people as partners in climate action.

Youth dialogue with Commonwealth Secretary-General
Youth dialogue with Commonwealth Secretary-General

The Commonwealth Blue Charter also released its new report, 'Blueing the NDCs', to help coastal and island member states in the Commonwealth meet their ocean-based commitments under the Paris Agreement.  Learn more

David Arinze, a member of the Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition Youth Action Group, talks about the vital role of young people in fast-tracking an inclusive and just sustainable energy transition.

7 December

Official rest day at COP28.

6 December

On Day 7 of COP28, the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub hosted a masterclass on Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) with its National and Regional Advisers. They explored strategies to integrate gender mainstreaming at every level of climate action. 

Learn more about our gender and climate work

 

Gender mainstreaming masterclass
Gender mainstreaming masterclass

The Commonwealth Blue Charter partnered with the Stimson Center to host a side event on supporting climate-resilient coastal cities. The panellists discussed the findings and recommendations from 'rapid assessments' piloted in Barbados, Kiribati and Sri Lanka. 

The rapid assessment tool aims to provide climate risk profiles for coastal cities and small island nations in the Commonwealth within a short amount of time, which can help governments make better-informed decisions and build long-term resilience.

Coastal Resilience event at COP28
The panel at the Coastal Resilience Accelerator event at the Commonwealth Pavilion

5 December

On Day 6 of COP28, the Commonwealth Secretariat launched the Commonwealth Carbon Tax Model Law - a powerful resource to help countries implement a carbon tax to reduce emissions and limit global heating to 1.5°C.  Read more about it here

The Secretariat also launched a toolkit to help member governments rapidly decarbonise their oil and gas sectors and implement strategies to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.  Learn more

To mark World Soil Day, Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, also joined UNCCD Executive Secretary, Ibrahim Thiaw, and Sadhguru for a panel on the role of land and soil in building climate resilience.

UNCCD panel
Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, spoke about the importance of the Living Lands Charter in safeguarding biodiversity on the panel with UNCDD Executive Secretary, Ibrahim Thiaw, and Sadhguru.

4 December

On Day 5 of COP28, Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, met with Commonwealth youth leaders to discuss their youth-led climate initiatives that are paving the way for a more sustainable future.

Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, with youth leaders at COP28
Youth leaders at COP28

3 December

On Day 4 of COP28, the Commonwealth Secretariat unveiled the Commonwealth Living Lands Charter Implementation Plan. The Living Lands Charter aims to coordinate action among the 56 Commonwealth countries on land, biodiversity and climate challenges, directly impacting a quarter of the world’s land area.  Read more


For the first time in the history of COP, health was on the agenda on Day 3 and the Secretariat partnered with PATH to launch an accelerator to support innovations that build climate-resilient health systems and communities.  Learn more about it here

Commonwealth and PATH launch new accelerator to support climate and health innovations
Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, PATH CEO, Nikolaj Gilbert, Zero Malaria and Climate Champion, Ellyane Wanjiku, and Malawi Minister of Natural Resources & Climate Change, Hon Dr Michael B Usi, at the launch of the accelerator.

See all photos from the Commonwealth Pavilion at COP28 on Flickr

2 December

Globally, one billion people depend on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods. On Day 3 of COP28, the Commonwealth Secretariat joined forces with the Coral Restoration Consortium to launch a Storytelling Hub that will share stories of people protecting and restoring these fragile ecosystems worldwide.  Read more

The Secretariat also introduced a new action group to help Commonwealth countries rapidly cut methane emissions as part of our efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C.  Learn more about the action group

Watch event recordings 

Two attendees from Kiribati at the Commonwealth Pavilion
Dr Tali Vardi from CRC

See more photos on our Flickr album

1 December

On Day 2 of COP28, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, addressed global philanthropists and business leaders at the inaugural Business and Philanthropy Climate Forum. She called on the private sector to help close the gap on ambition, action and finance to avert the climate crisis.

The Government of Malta and the Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) later convened a side event at the Commonwealth Pavilion on building climate adaptation and resilience in Small Island Developing States.  

The Secretary-General commended Malta for its long-standing leadership and advocacy for small islands states across the Commonwealth.

Malta event
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, and the Prime Minister of Malta, Hon Robert Abela, at the side event.

The Commonwealth Secretariat then joined Cambridge University’s Centre for Resilience and Sustainable Development Cambridge University (CRSD) to host a panel discussion on the power of innovative financing mechanisms to tackle the unique climate challenges of Small Island Developing States.  Read the full story

Watch to learn more about the 'Their Future, Our Action' project - a collaboration between the Secretariat and CRSD.

 

30 November

On Day 1 of COP28 in Dubai, world leaders gathered to accelerate global climate action.


As leaders agreed to operationalise the Loss and Damage Fund, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, opened the first event at the Commonwealth Pavilion on leveraging artificial intelligence for climate action and youth empowerment.

The Secretary-General also joined His Majesty The King and indigenous leaders for the launch of the Wildfire-Resilient Landscapes Network - a joint initiative between the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance and the Commonwealth Secretariat to bring together indigenous and scientific knowledge on wildfires to create resilient landscapes.

Watch event recordings 

Commonwealth at COP28

The Prime Minister of Tonga, Hon Siaosi Hu’akavameiliku, joined a Commonwealth side event to speak about the potential of AI to support small states in tackling climate challenges.  See all photos from Day 1 on Flickr

See our full schedule of events at COP28

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