UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that he will attend the COP27 climate summit in Egypt next week, reversing a previous decision to skip the meeting in Sharm El Sheikh to focus on domestic issues and the economic crisis in the UK.
The British Indian leader said: "There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change.
"There is no energy security without investing in renewables. That is why I will attend COP27 next week: to deliver on Glasgow's legacy of building a secure and sustainable future."
The COP26 summit was hosted and chaired by the UK’s COP President Alok Sharma in Scotland last November. Sunak had come under some pressure to attend the summit as a signal of the UK’s commitment to pressing climate action targets.
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Earlier, Downing Street said Sunak’s attendance at the summit was “under review” as progress was being made with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on the preparation of a crucial economic statement scheduled for November 17.
Many world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, are due to go to the 27th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Indian Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav will lead an 18-member Indian delegation at COP 27, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance yet to be confirmed.
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King Charles III is to host a COP27 pre-summit reception for world leaders at Buckingham Palace on Friday. It is planned as a review of progress made since the UK hosted the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November 2021, with Rishi Sunak and Alok Sharma among those attending alongside international business leaders and decision-makers.