The second Singapore Pavilion at COP28 showcases Singapore’s climate solutions, innovations, and partnerships to advance global climate action
THE Singapore Pavilion is the second Singapore Pavilion held at COP 28th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) from 30th November to 12th December 2023 in Dubai, UAE. Themed ‘Accelerating Collective Climate Action’, the Pavilion showcases how Singapore is convening players across sectors and domains, and from around the world, to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and build a climate-resilient future.
The Pavilion is a partnership with around 100 entities, including corporates, academia, international organisations, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Its daily programmes span memoranda of understanding (MOU) signings, launches of initiatives by partner entities, innovation showcases, panels, fireside chats and more. This includes programmes staged by youth delegates from the inaugural Climate Youth Development Programme, which was launched earlier this year.
In her pre-recorded welcome address at the Pavilion’s launch event, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said, “To us, the Singapore Pavilion is not just a physical space. It represents our commitment to climate action. It allows Team Singapore – made up of the public, private and people sectors – to show what we are doing collectively to tackle the challenge of our generation.” She added, “We look forward to welcoming guests and visitors from all over the world over the next two weeks. It is here that we hope to forge new partnerships and accelerate climate action together.”
She also added how “The government cannot solve climate change alone. It is especially important for Singapore to spark innovation, leverage technology, and rally stakeholders to achieve our climate goals. We need scientists, innovators, corporates, investors, and civil society to work together. You hold the ability to unlock the solutions needed to mitigate climate change, and build a climate-resilient future. I look forward to the many exciting announcements, innovation showcases, and insightful discussions that our Partners will be staging at our Pavilion.”
Mr Ravi Menon, Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore spoke at the launch and in his address he highlighted: “Every COP is more important than the previous one, simply because with each passingyear the world is running out of time. According to the latest IPCC report, the world needs to reduce greenhouse gasemissions by 43% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, this is what is necessary to keeptemperatures from rising above the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold. But greenhouse gas emissions are still rising not falling. Average global temperatures are already 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.”
New Singapore Initiative – Climate Leaders Assembly
Mr Menon also said that while negotiations take place at COP to foster new climate commitments are thus critically important, it is out in the Pavilions commitments are turned into action, where individual contributions coalesce into collective impact. The Singapore Pavilion aims to serve as a platform for such collective action to catalyseclimate solutions. Following the launch of the Pavilion Singapore co-hosted with Bain & Co the inaugural Climate Leaders’ Assembly where leaders from the private and peoplesectors to brainstorm ideas and develop initiatives. He also explained how Singapore is especially well placed to do this and detailed the Pavilion’s programme that spanned three big themes: decarbonisation, finance, andresilience.
For Mr Ravi Menon’s full speech please click here
For more information about the Singapore Pavilion visit here
