The delegation of Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies at the COP28 in Dubai

The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 28) started yesterday, 30 November 2023. Government leaders, civil society, industry and finance is gathering at the Expo City in Dubai until December 12th to discuss the climate situation and evaluate the progress made at the global level on the Paris Agreement.

Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies is accredited as observer organization at COP28 for the third consecutive year, and a delegation of professors, researchers and PhD students from the University's Institutes of Management, Dirpolis and TeCIP will be present in Dubai during both weeks of the conference: together with Prof. Marco Frey, Alessio Novi, Giulia Corsini, Vittorio Garibbo, Margherita Tranchina, Daniele Barbone, Alberto Pirni, Giovanni Del Re, Owais Khan, Giorgia Condomitti, Domenico Mecca, Manav Khanna, Binyam Mekonnen Adera, Antonella Zaccara, Alice Petrucciani, Enrico Mezzacapo, Andrea Zuniga Sierra, Patrizia Gragnani.

The Conference represents an important opportunity for discussion for Sant'Anna researchers. In addition to participating in the negotiations, the delegation contributes to the discussion on environmental sustainability and circular economy, on adaptation to climate change and the role of cities, on the management of strategies for the decarbonisation of supply chains, on energy transition and the role of hydrogen, on agricultural policy and agri-food sustainability, on biodiversity protection and recovery, on climate justice, and, in general, on the role of institutions in the fight to climate change.

Prof. Frey will be involved as a speaker in some side events that will take place during the second week of the Conference:

• 8 December 2023 from 11.30 to 13.00 (local time): the side event “Circular Economy as a driver for Ecological Transition in the Mediterranean area” promoted by A2A S.p.A. will be held at the Italian Pavilion (Blue Zone). The round table will address the role of the Circular Economy in Italy and Europe, the partnerships and cooperation opportunities generated by development models linked to the Circular Economy in the Mediterranean area, and the role of finance in the development and implementation of circular economic models.​​​
• 8 December 2023 from 1.30pm to 3.00pm (local time): Prof. Frey will be a speaker together with other professors from Italian universities of the RUS- Rete delle Università per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile, during the panel entitled "The role of universities in the process of decarbonisation of urban areas". During the event, the guidelines of the RUS Climate Change Work Group will be presented and the panel will discuss the current collaborations between universities, governments and local stakeholders in the process of decarbonisation of urban areas.
• 8 December 2023 from 3.00 pm to 4.30 pm (local time), at SE Room 8 (123 pax): Prof Frey and researcher Patrizia Gragnani will participate as speakers in the side event organized by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Adaptation Fund Board (AFB): “Raising the ambition of climate actions at urban level: recommendations for policymakers”. The panel will focus on how to raise the ambition of national climate policies by the inclusion of cities and local climate action. The latest research development and cross-sectorial policy recommendations, for integrating cities in national climate policies, will be presented.
• 9 December 2023, the event promoted by Leonardo, “Technology Driven Climate Action”, will be held at the Italian Pavilion (Blue Zone). It will discuss the role of digital and space technologies as key tools for mitigating and adapting to climate change . The event will be open to country delegates and observers having the needed accreditation.
• 10 December 2023 from 8.30 to 10.00 (CET) the event "Accelerating climate ambition: Italian business commitment towards Net-Zero" promoted by the UN Global Compact Network Italy will be held at the Italian Pavilion in the Blue Zone. The event will present UNGCNI research carried out in collaboration with IPSOS on the commitment of Italian companies towards achieving the Net-zero objective. It will outline the state of the art in Italy with respect to companies' Climate Action and, in particular, their contribution to reducing carbon emissions and achieving the net-zero target. Note: it will be possible to follow this event live streaming on the YouTube channel of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security.

Attached the brochures with more information on these events.