Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Minister for COP-26

With the UK hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-26) in Glasgow next year, Asia House will be welcoming Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Minister for COP-26, to brief Corporate Members on the UK’s climate change aims.

Originally scheduled to take place this year but postponed due to coronavirus, COP-26 comes at a crucial time in the global fight against climate change. The disruption of COVID-19 and its impact on public finances have led to fears that the climate crisis may take a backseat in policymakers’ agendas. However, a Biden administration in the US has the potential to redefine the global landscape on climate change, potentially heralding the return of US leadership on this critical issue.

In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed that “once we move beyond the emergency phase” of the COVID-19 crisis,  “we owe it to future generations to build back better and base our recovery on solid foundations, including a fairer, greener and more resilient global economy.” COP-26 will provide an important platform for the UK to set out how it can realise such a vision, and the role corporates can play in the global response to climate change.

Sharma will update Asia House Corporate Members on these issues, the importance of COP-26, and outline what the UK hopes to achieve over the course of its prolonged presidency.

Alok Sharma was appointed to his current roles on 13 February 2020, with his responsibilities including spearheading the government’s relationship with business, ensuring the UK remains at the leading edge for science, research and innovation, and coordinating the UK’s fight against climate change.

He was previously Secretary of State for International Development from 24 July 2019 to 13 February 2020, and Minister of State for Employment at the Department of Work and Pensions from 9 January 2018 until 24 July 2019.  He was Minister of State for Housing and Planning, for the Department for Communities and Local Government from 13 June 2017 to 9 January 2018.

This digital briefing is held exclusively for Asia House Corporate Members.

To register interest in attending this event, which takes place on 4 December, 2pm UK time, please contact Edward Danks at: edward.danks@asiahouse.co.uk.