For the first time, the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation participated in the United Nations annual climate conference. The 28th annual Conference of the Parties (COP28) was hosted by the UAE and held at Expo City in Dubai in December 2023. This conference is the highest decision-making process on climate issues in the world. It brought together over 70,000 delegates, heads of state, world leaders, and environmental leaders to address the issue of climate change on a global scale.
KSLOF was honored to participate in several events at COP28 this year to discuss the role of philanthropy in ocean conservation, the value of international collaboration across borders and research disciplines, and the importance of preserving global biodiversity through coral reef conservation and restoration.

These talks included:

• Safeguarding Our Planet: Biodiversity, Climate, and One Health, hosted by AEON Collective, where HRH Princess Hala discussed the importance of conservation as not only an environmental priority but a cornerstone for sustainable development, economic stability, and social well-being.
• Role of private foundations in empowering stakeholders for global ocean agenda, where our friends at the Sasakawa Peace invited us to speak about how private foundations can help facilitate effective marine conservation collaboration in the Indo-Pacific and Africa regions.
• The launch of the Coral Reef Breakthrough, an international initiative that aims to prevent further loss of coral by doubling coral reef protected areas, accelerating restoration, and securing investments to fund coral reef conservation.
• Ocean Decade 2030: Science & Partnerships for Climate Action Through the Ocean Decade, initiated a call for strong engagement in the UN Ocean Decade to accelerate the generation and uptake of ocean knowledge for climate action.
• Ocean Decade Foundations Dialogue: Ocean & Climate Action, discussed the successes and challenges of the UN Ocean Decade program and the role the Foundations Dialogue plays in aiding ocean science and conservation.
• DAFQA (‘Splash’ in Arabic), hosted by our partners at the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, this event explored the intersection of ocean health and climate change.
• From Pledges to Action for Corals, HRH Princess Hala talked about the foundation’s success in facilitating international cooperation for coral reef conservation at this event hosted by our partners at the Coral Research and Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP).

Participating in COP28 not only helped to strengthen our relationships with our current partners, but it also helped us forge new international collaborations that are leading the fight for coral reef conservation.