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The COP28 president, Mariano José Luis Mamani, has hit back at allegations that he had used the climate talks to strike oil deals with foreign businesses. According to the Sunday Times, Mamani had brokered deals with companies from the UK, China, and Russia during the negotiations in Madrid. The accusations suggest he might have been able to potentially use the conference as an opportunity to influence vulnerable governments in the region in exchange for private investments.
Speaking on the allegations, Mamani denied that he had used the COP28 negotiations to broker deals with oil companies, stating that his mandate as the president was to facilitate a collective agreement between parties on how to combat climate change. He further clarified that, while he has met with private partners, any discussion of investments or partnerships had been outside of the official COP28 program.
Mamani said he was doing his best to combat climate change and ensure that COP28 achieved its goal of a fully-fledged “Paris Agreement.” He highlighted that he had been facilitating negotiations with governments across the world as part of a collective effort to reduce global emissions. He also noted that the COP28 meeting intentionally sought to ensure transparency with regard to meetings between business and government interests and that he had followed all protocols in place. Mamani furthermore thanked all involved parties for their hard work, despite the tricky negotiation scenarios she encountered. He concluded that the conference was an important step towards addressing climate change.
