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A state-owned company in the UAE has hired a team of lobbyists to defend the country’s job in hosting this year’s United Nations climate summit after criticism from environmentalists and politicians.

Public relations firm First International Resources will receive a £100,000 monthly down payment for six months to bolster its United Arab Emiratess reputation among the “Western public,” according to a copy of his contract filed with the U.S. Department of Justice under the foreign agent lobbying rules, which was released by the DoJ this month.

The firm was hired by UAE state-owned renewable energy company Masdar, the contract reads. Masdar is chaired by COP28 president-designate Sultan al-Jaber, who also heads the petrostate’s oil company.

First International’s goal is to “inoculate” COP28 and Jaber from “any potential criticism” and garner the support of “politically influential individuals,” the agreement reads. The company specializes in crisis communications, according to its website.

In addition to serving as a “personal sounding board” for Jaber, the consultancy will respond to and deflect negative press reporting. The deal was first reported by Politico.

Nearly 200 countries and up to 80,000 people are expected to attend COP28 in Dubai in November as global policymakers attempt to reach agreement on efforts to tackle climate change.

Jaber’s appointment as COP28 chairman had “generated a predictable pushback from the Greens in the West,” reads the First International contract. In May, more than 100 Western politicians called on the UAE to remove Jaber from the role.

But Jaber, an engineer by training trusted by Abu Dhabi’s leadership as one of its most effective technocrats, has received continued support from others, including US climate envoy John Kerry and the EU.

Last month Jaber said he hopes COP28 aims to reach an agreement on tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 and reforming climate finance, a plan that has been widely welcomed by politicians and some leading climate activists. . But environmentalists have criticized him, saying he doesn’t go far enough in tackling climate change.

The UAE has also been criticized over its role as a producer of fossil fuels and concerns over its human rights record.

Under the contract, FIR will survey the general public and “elite” audiences in the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and three other countries. It will use the findings to generate a “proactive education campaign” and influence elected officials.

It will seek to enlist “politically influential individuals and groups” to “further strengthen the overall image and interests of COP28”. The contract listed the World Economic Forum, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Center for Strategic and International Studies among the think-tanks it could target.

Additionally, the contract stipulated that the consultancy “may also activate or mobilize our connections within the ‘U.S. Jewish establishment’ to help support the campaign’s overall goals,” as well as use its influence to arrange meetings with members of the United States Congress and the administration of President Joe Biden.

The appointment is the latest step in the UAE’s bid to boost its environmental profile. It has also hired David Canzini, a former aide to former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, to provide strategic advice.

COP28, Masdar and First International Resources did not immediately respond to requests for comment.