At the conclusion of a four-day workshop in the presence of leading suppliers and local and international chefs

Dubai, United Arab Emirates : Her Excellency Maryam bint Mohammed Al Muhairi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment and responsible for the food systems file at the COP28 Conference of the Parties, called on food and beverage selling and supply companies to provide “sustainable, climate- and environmentally responsible catering services” on a large scale, ahead of the COP28. COP28 expected in the UAE next month.

This came during a four-day workshop that ended last week, and aims to build momentum and stimulate the adoption of climate-responsible catering services, and enhance the success of their adoption by food and beverage sellers and suppliers at the COP28 Conference of the Parties, which will be held in Expo City Dubai. The step is the first of its kind in the history of the Conference of the Parties to provide food services to participants according to sustainable, climate- and environmentally responsible systems, and the step also encourages the continuation of this trend beyond the conference.

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the COP28 Conference of the Parties look forward to establishing partnerships with organizations and individuals who embody the sustainability principles of the COP28 Conference and supporting the Ministry and standing with it to bring about lasting change not only in the UAE, but also globally.

During the workshop, Her Excellency Maryam Al Muhairi said: “Our vision for COP28 is to provide participating delegates with a comprehensive understanding of the climate challenges facing the world. We know that our food systems are closely linked to the fate of our natural world, so we made this decision to ensure that we explore the extent to which food services can be Catering and serving food at the conference site is climate responsible, which reinforces our affirmation of the UAE Declaration on Food Systems, Agriculture and Climate Action.”

Her Excellency added: “This approach, which is the first of its kind for a COP, is based on the sustainable catering strategy developed for COP28, and aims to demonstrate the benefits and lasting legacy that can result in adopting a climate-responsible menu.”

The Sustainable Catering Strategy aims to demonstrate how scalable sustainable food and drink can be, and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and COP28 are looking for food and drink partners with this same vision. The ambitious strategy, which has never been implemented at a conference of the parties before, includes a commitment to provide two-thirds of the menu with vegetables and plants, and to reduce the carbon footprint of the foods served, to focus more on water density, nutrition, portion sizes, and reducing waste, in addition to being affordable.

Her Excellency Maryam Al Muhairi said: “Our determination to reimagine the catering services provided to delegations participating in the COP reflects the sustainability approach that we follow in all sectors, especially food systems. We would like to demonstrate the UAE’s commitment to all matters related to the COP process in every way possible.”

The trend of providing food services in a climate and environmentally responsible manner and approach embodies the core of the COP28 Conference of the Parties and the UAE’s desire to benefit from all available means in its efforts to advance climate action solutions at a rapid pace.

Her Excellency the Minister of Climate Change and Environment concluded her speech by saying: “The program will require significant participation from caterers in this event, but I am confident that the will will be there because the food must be delicious and delicious when eaten. We will work hard to ensure that the concept is communicated in a way that is useful and attractive to attendees, because these two elements "Two things are vital to bring about the desired change in behaviour."

The four-day workshop included high-level local and international chefs, especially from the Chefs Manifesto network, which held a two-day session within the workshop, at the International Center for Culinary Arts (ICCA) in Dubai. The workshop had two clear goals. First, build momentum for sustainable catering by developing dishes and materials to support the implementation of the trend during the event.

The second goal is to bring together partner organizations such as the SDG2 Advocacy Hub, which supports the second goal of sustainable development, the National Initiative to Reduce Food Waste and Loss “Nima” and the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), with top chefs from the “Manifesto” network. “Chefs” and others. In this regard, the workshop was held during another session at the SEE Institute in Dubai. The session included talks and panel discussions from local food producers, scientists, nutritionists, sustainability experts and the COP28 team, with the aim of highlighting the ways in which food can be provided. Sustainable food for an important large-scale event such as the COP, while maintaining a number of considerations: ensuring that the food is nutritious, delicious, affordable and climate-friendly.

By engaging the public and the wider community through the social media channels of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the COP28 Conference of the Parties, the workshop was designed to be able to reach further the target audience, including not only visitors to the high-profile conference, but also those who heard and read about it. In addition to supporting efforts towards raising awareness about providing sustainable food.

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© Press Release 2023