Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We come to you this morning just minutes after COP28 officially wrapped in Dubai, with a major achievement — which just hours ago seemed much less likely…

Global Stocktake approved: Global leaders at COP28 approved a final text of the Global Stocktake this morning, after more than 30 hours of fraught negotiations and late-night negotiations between ministers, Zawya reports. “We have sent the world in [the] right direction. We have given it the first action plan to keep 1.5C in reach. It is a plan led by the science. It is a balanced plan that reimagines global finance and delivers loss and damage,” COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber said.

The UAE pushed to add agri-food systems and food security in the final COP28 Global Stocktake text, Alarabiya News reports, citing comments made by UAE Climate Change and Environment minister Mariam Almheiri.

COP28 brought agri-food issues to the limelight: As the first COP to host an agriculture thematic day dedicated to food and farming topics, COP28 has netted USD 3 bn in climate financing toward food and agriculture industries. UAE-US’ Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) initiative secured approximately USD 17 bn in investments, more than double what was pledged at COP27.

UK climate minister dipped out early: British Climate Minister Graham Stuart left the conference in Dubai a day ahead of its scheduled end to submit a ballot on a national bill back home, reports The Guardian. Stuart is being slammed by media outlets (Sky News | Mirror | ITVX | The Standard) for the irony behind his departure — that is, leaving an intense round of climate discussions to make a 6,313-mile round trip. Stuart responded to the heat with no humility, saying, “This [UK] government is not anti-flying,” reports The Independent.

We’ll have the full rundown of the final agreement and what it means in tomorrow’s edition of EnterpriseAM UAE.

IN OTHER COP28 POLICY NEWS-

UAE among 25 global + regional utility giants join forces to boost clean energy: In partnership with the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), 25 utilities and power companies inked the COP28 Declaration of Action (pdf), setting in motion the Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA) as its vehicle for implementation, according to a statement released last week. Under the pact, the companies have pledged to accelerate electrification, integration of renewables into power grids and clean energy deployment in line with the 2030 goals and the 2050 net zero target. The Alliance requested Irena to lead the secretariat.

Notable signatories: Amongst the companies that have signed the declaration are: UAE’s Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), Etihad Water and Electricity, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) and Masdar, France’s EDF and Engie, Germany’s Schneider Electric and Siemens, Spain’s Iberdrola, China’s Jinko Power, and the UK’s Xlinks and Octopus Energy, amongst others.

The partners: The Alliance is led by the UAE’s grid operator Taqa, and (other than Irena) will have a number of partners including the UN High-Level Climate Champions, the World Economic Forum, the International Electrotechnical Commission, the Global Renewables Alliance, and Chile’s Coordinador Eléctrico Nacional.

ALSO COMING OUT OF THE CONFERENCE YESTERDAY-

A new MENA accelerator in town: AstroLabs, KSA’s Sabic, UAE’s, PepsiCo, and other strategic partners will launch the Mega Green Accelerator to support climate-focused regional startups, according to a statement. The accelerator will provide seed funding, mentorship, and address regional sustainability challenges with investment partners the Dubai Future District Fund, Venture Souq, and Shurooq Partners.

HAPPENING TODAY-

It’s the last day of the Dubai International Food Safety Conference. Over 3k attendees have gathered at the Dubai Municipality-organized conference over the past three days. The COP-minded theme of the event was the “Impact of Climate Change on Food Safety.”

The WHO’s global consultation on comprehensive surveillance of respiratoryviruses also draws to a close at the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) today. The first of its kind to be held in the Middle East, the event gathered over 100 participants to form global strategies to guard against the spread of influenza and other respiratory diseases.

UAE Pass streamlines license plate changes: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has introduced a hassle-free initiative through the UAE Pass app, enabling the exchange of vehicle plates and the transfer of plate ownership, with titles now exchanged by signing a Sales Purchase Agreement (SPA) on the app, RTA said in a statement.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD

#1- The United States is (slightly) changing its tone on Israel’s war on Gaza with President Joe Biden warning that its ally is “losing support” for its war. Biden called Benjamin Netanyahu’s bombing campaign in Gaza “indiscriminate” and said the Israeli leader needs to accept a two-state solution.

You can feel the worm turning: NYT foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman, meanwhile, suggests that Israel can’t bank on money or boots on the ground from the Arab world to rebuild Gaza when it’s done turning the enclave into rubble. Israel must have a “legitimate, effective Palestinian partner and commits to one day negotiating a two-state solution,” he says, suggesting after a visit to Riyadh that Saudi officials are still open to normalizing ties with Israel.

Wait, Thomas Friedman? Isn’t he, uhm … spent? Scoff at his orientalism, his simplistic (often jingoistic) takes (we do), but even his critics admit the guy is having something of a renaissance of late — and is once again being read in western capitals.

#2- Pundits are taking stock of what Google’s Epic app store loss in court means for the future of its Play Store and Apple’s App store. Increasing scrutiny from regulators could “derail profits” for both stores, the Wall Street Journal warns. But don’t expect changes anytime soon — for years, perhaps, CNBC warns: Google is likely to appeal the ruling (which we covered yesterday).

What they’re are missing: The app stores may (or may not — antitrust law, like copyright law, is so often in the eye of the beholder) be anti-competitive, but their existence created a largely safe, multi-bn USD economy. App stores keep users safe from malicious (and just plain bad) third-party apps and are the first line of defense against mobile fraud and predatory practices. Tech enthusiasts and dev nerds alike will want to watch this space closely.

#3- Apple aims to make your iPhone even safer with “stolen device protection,” a feature set to roll out in iOS 17.3 that would “require authentication through Face ID or Touch ID to perform certain actions.” The changes come after fantastic reporting by Wall Street Journal tech columnist Joanna Stern about how easy it was for thieves to take over your digital life if they managed to snag your device and passcode. Not a WSJ subscriber? Head over to the Verge for the rundown.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The world’s first angel investor summit, Super Angels, is coming to the Abu Dhabi Center this Friday and Saturday. The summit runs from 8am to 5pm on both days.

Also on this weekend: Ahlam and Assala are playing at Dubai’s Coca Cola Arena this Friday night.

Check out our full calendar on the web for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events, national holidays and news triggers.