President Ranil Wickremesinghe has returned to the island after concluding his official visit to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Head of State attended the 28th session of the Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which is being held from November 30 until December 12.

According to Ada Derana correspondent, President Wickremesinghe and the delegation had returned on board Emirates flights at around 9:55 p.m. yesterday (Dec.04).

The Sri Lankan leader, accompanied by 3 ministers, 2 opposition MPs and 20 young participants passionate about environmental concerns, took part in this pivotal conference in Dubai. The primary objective of the Sri Lankan delegation was to harness support and collaboration from countries in the Tropical Belt to influence policy-making decisions on a global scale.

The 28th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC convened world leaders, public-private representatives, environmentalists, and scholars to tackle pressing climate change issues and address critical decisions.

President Wickremesinghe envisioned 3 key focal points at the event: the launch of the Climate Justice Forum, the Tropical Belt Initiative and the establishment of a Climate Change University.

The concept behind the Climate Justice Forum aims to address the pressing issue of climate change and exert influence, particularly on the Global North. It was launched on Saturday (Dec.02).

The Tropical Belt Initiative was also inaugurated on Saturday, focused on harnessing commercial investments in vital natural resources within the tropical belt, such as forests, swamps, and mangroves.

Meanwhile, the International Climate Change University (ICCU) was inaugurated on Sunday (Dec.03) by the Sri Lankan president, in consideration of the need for robust institutional frameworks to address the gaps in global climate action.