Zev Furst, the chairman and CEO of First International Resources (FIR), a public relations firm, has been hired by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to manage its image ahead of the UN's COP28 Climate Change Conference later this year, according to data from Open Secrets.
Furst, who has donated over $90,000 to Democratic candidates and organizations since 2008, will work to counteract negative press and media reports surrounding the UAE's hosting of the conference as a major oil-producing country.
The decision to hire FIR has raised eyebrows, as the Democratic Party has long advocated for reducing reliance on oil. In fact, the party's 2008 platform aimed to "end the tyranny of oil in our time," a position that has been consistently maintained in subsequent party platforms. Furst's donations, exclusively to Democratic candidates and organizations, further highlight the potential conflict of interest.
The COP28 conference, scheduled for late November and early December, will bring together delegates from around the world to assess progress towards the goals outlined in the 2015 Paris Climate Accords. However, the choice of the UAE as the host country has been met with criticism. As one of the top ten oil-producing states globally, the irony of holding a climate conference in a country heavily reliant on fossil fuels has not gone unnoticed.
The UAE government appointed Sultan Al Jaber, the head of the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, as the president of COP28 in January 2023. This move has further fueled concerns about the conference's credibility and the UAE's commitment to addressing climate change.
FIR, based in New Jersey, will focus on reinforcing the strategic value of the UAE in the global fight against climate change, particularly among decision-makers in Washington, D.C., and Europe. According to filings required under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), FIR will receive a monthly fee of $100,000 from the UAE. The firm's services will include deflecting critical media coverage and improving the reputations of Al Jaber and COP28 to shield them from potential criticism.
Despite these developments, neither FIR nor UN representatives have responded to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
As the COP28 conference approaches, the UAE's decision to hire a PR firm to manage its image raises questions about the country's commitment to addressing climate change.
Critics argue that hosting the conference in a major oil-producing country undermines its credibility and sends mixed messages about the global effort to combat climate change. The role of FIR in shaping public perception and deflecting criticism will undoubtedly be closely watched as the conference unfolds.
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