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Climate diplomacy: How UAE is shaping policies that impact generations
UAE diplomat says climate talks go beyond emissions, shaping generational outcomes through law, policy, and global collaboration
- PUBLISHED: Wed 25 Feb 2026, 7:13 PM
Climate negotiations are more than just emissions targets or conference declarations. They involve national interest, economic resilience, and long-term global stability, issues that matter deeply to the country, says UAE Diplomat Ahmed bin Abdulrahman Al Ghardaqa in an interview with Khaleej Times.
"I was drawn to climate diplomacy because it sits at the intersection of law, IR, national interest, and long-term global stability.
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Climate diplomacy
As diplomat and Head of Climate Diplomacy and Sustainability Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lead Negotiator and Senior Legal Advisor to the COP28 UAE Presidency, Al Ghardaqa has been at the centre of global negotiations hosted on home soil.
He believes climate diplomacy is one of the few arenas where “technical legal language can influence generational outcomes.” For a country like the UAE — balancing energy leadership, economic diversification and sustainability goals — that legal language translates into policy, finance and implementation.
“The forward-looking vision of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, emphasising resilience, strategic autonomy, and long-term investment in human capital, reinforces that perspective.
What continues to motivate me is the understanding that today’s negotiations influence generational outcomes.”
His message is clear: climate talks are about shaping systems that endure beyond electoral cycles and political headlines.
From family legacy to global negotiations
Al Ghardaqa's path into diplomacy is also deeply personal. He grew up watching his father serve during the UAE’s formative diplomatic years, helping establish missions and relationships abroad.
"I grew up observing diplomacy not as a profession, but as a duty to the nation.
My father was among the early generation of Emiratis who carried the responsibility of representing our country abroad during its formative diplomatic years."
At home, he says, his mother instilled resilience and humility — values that guide him in high-stakes global forums.
In the UAE, he sees youth leadership not as disruption but as continuity.
“Young leaders are no longer observers in diplomacy, they are contributors… However, youth leadership in diplomacy is not about speed or disruption. It is about responsibility.”
That sense of responsibility was tested during the UAE-hosted climate summit, where negotiations brought together countries with vastly different priorities.
“The most challenging aspect is managing convergence across fundamentally different national realities.
Climate negotiations are not purely environmental discussions.
“They are economic, developmental, geopolitical, and sometimes deeply emotional conversations.
“The most rewarding aspect is witnessing how consensus, even fragile consensus, can unlock real global momentum and translate into decision frameworks that enable implementation.”
The unseen work behind declarations
While the public often sees final agreements and headlines, Al Ghardaqa highlights that real work happens quietly, line by line.
“What the public often sees are final declarations and announcements. What they do not see is the years of technical drafting, legal review, stakeholder coordination, and quiet diplomacy that precede them, including line-by-line negotiation of terms, definitions, and governance arrangements.”
The complexity, he adds, is not disagreement — but durability.
“The complexity is not in disagreement. It is in achieving durable agreement that is implementable, financeable, and resilient across political and economic cycles.”
One of the clearest examples, he says, is climate finance architecture — an area critical to vulnerable nations and global trust.
“Diplomacy may appear abstract, but it directly shapes how resources move, how projects are approved, and how accountability mechanisms function.
Negotiated texts determine how funds are structured, governed, and disbursed.”
Well-designed legal frameworks, he notes, can unlock renewable energy deployment, methane-reduction initiatives, and resilience infrastructure — translating diplomatic text into real-world delivery.
A message to UAE students
A graduate of Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, Al Ghardaqa credits his academic training for grounding him in structured reasoning and international law.
“At my university, the emphasis on analytical discipline, international law, and global perspective was formative. It cultivated the ability to navigate complex frameworks and understand how legal systems interact across jurisdictions.”
For students in the UAE hoping to enter diplomacy, his advice is practical and disciplined.
“First, develop and master substance before visibility. Diplomacy requires technical competence.
Second, cultivate patience. Negotiations unfold over years, not days.”
Above all, he urges young Emiratis to anchor ambition in service.
“Third, anchor your ambition and purpose in service… The responsibility is to approach those opportunities with seriousness and integrity and to represent the country with discipline and respect for institutional mandates.”
For Al Ghardaqa, climate diplomacy ultimately comes down to one word.
“Climate diplomacy is ultimately about trust.
Trust between countries. Trust between generations. Trust between policy and implementation.”
As a young Emirati representing his country on the global stage, he sees himself as part of a lineage — carrying forward bridges built by earlier generations.
“My responsibility is to carry that path forward with integrity.”
