UAE Launches Global Energy Efficiency Alliance at COP29

The United Arab Emirates has launched the Global Energy Efficiency Alliance at COP29 in Azerbaijan, aiming to accelerate international cooperation on energy efficiency and support global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The initiative seeks to help double the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements worldwide by 2030.

The alliance builds on the commitments outlined in the UAE Consensus adopted at COP28, which called for tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency improvements by the end of the decade. The new initiative is designed to support these objectives through knowledge sharing, capacity building and the development of common approaches to energy efficiency.

UAE officials said the alliance will promote the exchange of best practices, strengthen international partnerships and encourage collaboration between governments, institutions and industry stakeholders. The initiative will also support efforts to reduce carbon emissions and improve the sustainable use of natural resources through greater energy efficiency.

The UAE plans to play a leading role in the alliance by facilitating knowledge transfer, supporting partnership models and advancing discussions on global energy efficiency standards. The initiative has received interest from multiple countries and is intended to strengthen international cooperation on climate and energy goals.

Energy efficiency is widely regarded as one of the most cost-effective tools for reducing emissions and improving energy security. Through the new alliance, the UAE aims to support global efforts to accelerate the energy transition while contributing to long-term climate and sustainability objectives.

Energy-efficiency alliances at COP scale accelerate common standards and financing mechanisms that individual jurisdictions can then adopt, and the UAE-led framing gives it real teeth. Our energy-transition and climate-action teams help clients evaluate what these alliances mean for building efficiency capex, industrial retrofits and Scope 2 planning.