This year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as the UN COP28, will host a dedicated business and philanthropy climate forum.  

Taking place in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, on 1 and 2 December, the forum will bring together some 500 global business leaders, policymakers and philanthropists together to encourage cross-sector partnerships to achieve net zero goals and increase climate ambitions.  

The Forum will address key climate priorities related to the COP28 Action Agenda, which includes fast-tracking a just and orderly energy transition; fixing climate finance; putting nature, lives and livelihoods at the heart of climate action; and underpinning everything with full inclusivity. 

It is the first of its kind to take place at the annual COP events.  

The forum takes place alongside the heads of state level world climate action summit. The UAE, in charge as the Cop28 Presidency, says it is determined to close the gaps between policy and practice, and accelerate climate action through better collaboration. 

Badr Jafar, on the COP28 Advisory Committee, believes that climate philanthropy can be “the glue that binds business and civil society” to achieve positive climate contributions and net zero goals. 

“I’ve been saying for years that philanthropy is the forgotten child of the capital system. Now we’ve found that child, we must engage with it properly. We must dispel the myth that philanthropic capital is too small to make a difference,” Jafr told Alliance’s ‘the future of global philanthropy’ webinar on Friday. 

“The real focus should be the quality of this large pool of philanthropy.” 

“Businesses and philanthropists must play leading roles in meeting net zero pathways and delivering sustainable development and at COP28 they will have a platform to do so,” said COP28 president designate, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, in a statement.  

According to the Guardian newspaper, there is a renewed global push for commitments on phasing out fossil fuels that is gathering new momentum. 

Campaigners are ramping up efforts to put an undertaking to stop burning not just coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, but also oil and gas on the UN agenda ahead of the Cop28 summit in Dubai in late November and early December.  

Shafi Musaddique is news editor at Alliance magazine.