Sultan Al Jaber says Cop28 'has already made history' at start of second week

Sultan Al Jaber just held a press conference to kick off week two of Cop28 after a rest day. He told the audience: “I do hope you managed to get some rest yesterday and I hope you are ready for what will be a momentous few days ahead.”

The Cop28 president and oil executive will is likely to be hoping this second half of the summit goes better than the last, when his presidency was undermined by his remarks to Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, in which he questioned the science around the phase out of fossil fuels.

He spoke on this theme, insisting this Cop under his leadership is better and more successful than previous summits.

“We can all agree Cop28 has been different, and I am sure we will agree that Cop28 has already made history. There is a unique sense of momentum, a sense of inclusivity and a sense of willingness and flexibility. I also feel a sense that something unprecedented is possible to happen here at Cop28. We achieved consensus on the first day with the loss and damage, and I believe with the momentum we have, with the action-oriented mindset that has been instilled across the board here on the site, I believe we can achieve consensus again on the rest of the agenda.”