More than 100 experts, envoys, and youth leaders gathered Sunday at Msheireb Museums for a climate dialogue with former Germany environment minister Dr Barbara Hendricks, highlighting the Paris Agreement’s legacy and the urgency of closing the global ambition gap.

The event, titled “Doha Climate Talks: Climate Diplomacy in Action” and organised in partnership with German embassy in Doha, Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar, and Msheireb Museums, aimed to foster diplomatic co-operation to address pressing climate challenges.

Dr Hendricks, who personally negotiated the Paris Agreement for Germany, lauded it as “a huge success and a big sign of hope”.

While acknowledging the necessity for faster action against climate change, she said that “we are on track”, expressing optimism for the future and noted the responsibility and strengthening awareness demonstrated by young people in Qatar.

Reflecting on the often-arduous path to global consensus during the deliberations, Dr Hendricks recalled the “bitter failure” of the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit, which underscored the critical need for a well-managed, inclusive process to build trust.

This, she pointed out, led to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s initiation of the Petersburg climate dialogue in 2010.

Dr Hendricks credited Doha with a key role in 2012, explaining how under Qatar’s presidency, a plan to reach the 2015 agreement was reached.

She said that a key shift at that time was moving from the “top-down binding” approach of the Kyoto Protocol to a “bottom-up” approach with “intended nationally determined contributions”, offering countries greater ownership and flexibility.

Dr Hendricks paid tribute to Laurent Fabius, then French foreign minister and COP21 president, for his “unprecedented unshackling global diplomacy effort”.

She cited his relentless personal conciliation throughout 2015, which was instrumental in uniting nearly all 196 parties.

Dr Hendricks also stressed how the passionate pleas of island nations, articulating that the negotiations were about “survival not just economics”, resonated globally and led to the crucial inclusion of the 1.5° Celsius global heating limit in the agreement.

While the Paris Agreement has significantly reduced projected warming scenarios from over 4C to an estimated 1.8-3C, Dr Hendricks cautioned that an “ambition gap” remains.

“Even in the most optimistic scenarios on implementing what is on the table, we still face an ambition gap. Every 10th of the degree of climate change avoided counts, that makes this process so valuable,” she said, highlighting the challenge of accelerating the ambition cycle to deliver on the 1.5C target.

In his speech, Msheireb Museums general manager Abdulla al-Naama spotlighted the institution’s role as a platform for “meaningful conversations that tackle the pressing issues of our times”, with climate change being paramount.

He said that Msheireb Downtown Doha is a living testament to sustainable urban development, making it an ideal venue for such discussions.

The discussions also covered climate diplomacy, the pivotal role of women in climate leadership, and youth activism.

Among the attendees were German ambassador Lothar Freischlader, ambassadors from Australia, Turkiye, Austria, and Azerbaijan, and official representatives from the embassies of France, the United Arab Emirates, Tajikistan, and Switzerland.

In a statement, Freischlader underlined the power of diplomacy in translating ambition into collective action.

“Whether it is through global frameworks like the Paris Agreement or regional partnerships, climate diplomacy is not just about negotiations, it’s about solidarity, responsibility, optimism and action,” he said.

The talks also addressed region-specific challenges, including water security, renewable energy transition, and sustainable urban development, strengthening Qatar’s commitment to environmental sustainability aligned with its National Vision 2030.