The seventh edition of the MoCA takes place at a critical moment, in the backdrop of record heat waves and devastation from extreme rainfall and flooding across the world, reports of budgetary cuts resulting in governments pulling back on their international climate commitments. The urgency to act decisively and fast to reduce emissions, to phase out fossil fuel use makes it imperative for the UAE, which holds the COP28 presidency, to indicate its priorities and how it proposes to galvanise countries to act decisively on addressing the climate project.