Countries in the Arab region are seeking substitutes to oil so they can diversify their economies and mitigate the impact of fossil fuels production. “They realize that the emissions that are coming up from the production of oil are not acceptable and they have a moral obligation and responsibility at the global level to reduce their emissions,” says UNESCWA's Rola Dashti during a  C2GTalk. The war in Ukraine has increased energy prices impacting livelihoods globally. In the Arab region this has resulted in billions of dollars of gross domestic product losses. Now we see why energy security is so important at the global level and why climate finance is crucial to support developing countries in their green transition. Rola Dashti, executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA), is a leading Kuwaiti economist and long-time champion of women’s rights, gender equality, and democratic reform, before moving to ESCWA in 2019. For more, please go to C2G's website.