King Charles III will deliver the opening address at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Friday 1 December, London's Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday.
The 74-year-old monarch, a long-standing advocate for the environment, received an invitation to the inaugural event from Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of UAE, and by the request of the UK government.
He plans to present an opening speech at the environmental summit, which will run until Tuesday 12 December.
Accompanying this decision was a statement issued by the King, made from Kenya where he is currently on a state visit. "Global warming and biodiversity loss are threats to us all and can only be combated if all of society comes together in a spirit of action, partnership and commitment," he stated at the United Nations office in Nairobi.
As the former Prince of Wales, Charles represented his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at the UK-hosted COP26 in Glasgow (Scotland) two years ago.
He did not attend COP27 in Egypt, reportedly due to opposition from then Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was in power for 49 days.
COP28 is set to welcome 200 countries. The major point on the agenda is to create a fund to compensate for climate damage, the adoption of which was considered to be the major achievement of COP27.
