Collaborating for Climate Success: High-Level Champions Rally Non-State Leaders in New York to Support Enhanced Government Action Ahead of COP 29
High-Level Climate Champions
H.E. Ms. Razan Al Mubarak and Ms. Nigar Arpadarai are the High-Level Climate Champions for #COP28 and #COP29.
With just under two months until this year’s UN Climate Conference in Azerbaijan, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions for COP 28 and COP 29, Razan Al Mubarak and Nigar Arpadarai, are attending Climate Week New York - to spotlight the growing climate action by businesses, investors, cities, regions, and civil society. In the coming days, they will emphasize the critical role these actors' insights can and must play in informing and supporting governments as they prepare to submit their updated national climate, biodiversity, and adaptation plans.
The High-Level Champions will demonstrate how - supported by the Marrakech Partnership, the real economy and key areas of society are advancing a just transition away from fossil fuels, unlocking climate finance, and restoring and protecting nature. They will also amplify the calls from across their non-State actor partners for national climate plans to be ambitious, clear, investable and implementable.?
The Champions have just published a report to highlight the insights, priorities and offers of support from non-State actors - to help countries to leverage the involvement of subnational governments, investors and businesses, in the design and implementation of countries’ Nationally-Determined Contributions (NDCs).?
Also, the 2024 Net Zero Stocktake , the annual global snapshot of the quantity and quality of climate commitments has just landed. The new analysis explains how Race to Zero, the world’s largest alliance of 14,500 non-State entities, is driving net zero target-setting integrity.?
Both High-Level Champions will speak at the Global Renewables Summit at New York Climate Week to highlight the many ways in which major non-State users and producers of power are collaborating to meet the target of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030.
The week will see progress updates from the Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA) launched at COP 28, on the efforts of global utilities and? power companies to expand, refurbish and modernise power grids.?
Race to Zero partners and members will be active throughout the week sharing their progress toward their net zero targets and the insights to inform ambitious policies. The Champions and partners will also be convening meetings to discuss ongoing efforts to increase green demand in heavy-emitting sectors, the important role of non-State actors in managing critical energy transition minerals value chains in line with best environmental, social, and economic practices to support a just transition, especially in Africa.?
The importance of finance is front and centre in New York, setting the stage for COP 29’s focus on financing the transition. The Champions will speak at the Ceres Climate Week Conference and the Bloomberg Sustainability Summit to emphasise the progress of Race to Zero members on their net zero targets; the importance of transitioning finance, including to overlooked small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); and the need for continued innovation in adaptation and nature finance. The role of insurance in de-risking investments, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors, such as energy and transport - will be discussed during sessions with industry leaders. Furthermore, to support the urgent need to increase investments in developing economies, the Regional Platforms for Climate Projects will convene investors with project developers from Latin America and the Caribbean - building on the USD 1.9 billion secured for 19 climate projects in 2024.
The critical role of SMEs in decarbonising the global economy will also be at the forefront of the launch of Nigar Arpadarai’s Climate Proofing SME campaign. In parallel, Ms. Arpadarai will set out her vision for elevating the often underrepresented voices and solutions of climate innovators from local communities and grassroots movements through her Impact Makers campaign (more details below).
Building on the outcomes of COP 28 - where countries called for halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030 ?and 160 governments set out a roadmap for integrating nature and food systems in climate change action - H.E. Razan Al Mubarak and partners have launched a new report, ‘Scaling nature finance now: The opportunity for investors in Brazil and beyond .’ The report underscores the imperative and the opportunity to urgently invest in nature and sustainable agriculture practices, especially in megadiverse regions, such as Brazil, to deliver significant, mutually reinforcing benefits for businesses, investors and society.?
Both High-Level Champions will also join representatives? from Indigenous Peoples groups, private finance and multilateral financial institutions to discuss the progression of a finance roadmap for Indigenous Peoples ahead of COP 30.?
For more information on our packed schedule of events and? details on how to join either in person or online, go to this webpage .
From Local Action to National Ambition: Uniting Governments for Climate Success
Guest interview: Mark Watts, Executive Director, C40
As countries prepare to share their post-2030 climate commitments, so-called ‘‘Nationally-Determined Contributions (NDCs),’ we spoke to Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40, the global network of nearly 100 mayors united in confronting the climate crisis, on the massive potential for regions and cities to boost the ambition and effectiveness of national goals.
C40 acts as a friend of the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action which was introduced at COP 28 - and co-led by the COP 28 High-Level Champion, Razan Al Mubarak. Mark also reflected on the aims of CHAMP - to align subnational and national governments - to create a multiplier effect on the capacity of countries to set ambitious goals and deliver them on time.?
A recent study found that most national NDCs fail to include the emissions reduction potential of cities . How is C40 tackling this missed opportunity?
That was a really interesting study by UN-Habitat. For those of us working on subnational climate action, it proved what we'd always suspected - that the vast majority (nearly two-thirds) of country national climate commitments have yet to really take account of what's happening at the subnational level.?
The analysis clearly framed the challenge of the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action , which was launched at COP 28, committing 72 countries to strengthening their new NDCs by coordinating the efforts of national governments with cities and states and regions. This means that, at the next COP, we will not just see commitments of national governments, or in some cases, departments in national governments, but genuinely integrated commitments by all levels of government, across the whole country.
C40 acts as a friend for CHAMP, supporting the UAE in shaping the initiative and encouraging collaboration between our members, many other partner organisations and country leaders. In the countries where I personally have been engaged, such as Brazil, it’s been very enlightening to see the new federal government - led by President Lula - establish a policymaking process that is designed to convene the different layers of government - bringing together Mayors and the State Governors on climate policy. That's resulted in Brazil’s world-leading Green Resilient Cities program , which is backed by a large chunk of national government money. We’d like to see that kind of approach being taken by all of the signatories to CHAMP and indeed, all of the signatories of the Paris Agreement.
Ultimately, effective climate action is not about competition between different levels of government, it's about maximising the use of public investment. Often, policy and regulations that affect the whole of the country are set at the national level, but most often it's local or state governments that are responsible for establishing and enforcing them on the ground.
Within C40, there's tremendous momentum and leadership on climate and a willingness to collaborate across international boundaries, different cultures and levels of economic development. That has enabled city governments often to go a lot faster than their national counterparts. CHAMP is about unleashing that leadership further - enabling national governments to realise that collaboration can help deliver stronger commitments. The more countries can enable the different layers of government, the more capacity they have to deliver those commitments on time.
What is the next frontier of city climate leadership, and which cities are leading??
CHAMP is helping to stimulate a new generation of leadership, with national programs that bring all local regional governments together towards a national target. We need higher levels of ambition to start with and then greater efficiency in the use of resources through collaboration. We need a better dialogue with national governments so that there’s stronger legislation and regulation to get ‘all hands on deck.’?
We've seen that in a few countries already. A great example is Denmark’s DK 2020 program which has led all 98 of the country’s municipalities to draw up and commit to climate action plans, using the C40 framework. The program brings together the broad support of its municipalities, with the assistance of a philanthropic fund and the national government to really drive up the ambition of the national target. That's what we need to see in every country.
We’re just about to conduct a new stocktake of progress across our member cities, but our last analysis in 2022 found that 75% of our member cities were cutting their emissions faster than their respective national governments . For the remaining? 25%, we didn't have the data to be able to verify. The level of action is really good, but cities should be going even faster.?
There are many great examples of city-led initiatives being adopted by national governments.?
For example, I was in the Philippines recently where I met Quezon City’s incredible Mayor Joy Belmonte who led their really innovative ‘Joy of Urban Farming ’ scheme. The initiative originated from the pandemic, when they were really struggling to get food into the city. At the same time, unemployment rocketed, particularly for the poorest in society - many of whom were street-sellers whose livelihoods were wiped out by the pandemic.
To help them, Mayor Belmonte requisitioned 750 square-metres of land which was earmarked for development, but instead was turned into urban farms. This created an opportunity for people in the surrounding informal settlements to become farmers, as well as generating a source of healthy vegetables which could be sold into schools, with organic waste turned into methane gas for use in cooking. With more than a thousand urban farms in operation, the scheme is now being taken up across the Philippines. You can see how strong city policy can drive powerful change at the national level. ?
The full interview with Mark Watts can be found here.
‘Impact Makers’ Campaign Spotlights Solutions
The Impact Makers campaign has been launched, designed to spotlight and scale innovative climate actions from diverse leaders and innovators worldwide. Unveiled by UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP 29, Nigar Arpadarai, the campaign highlights tangible solutions from social entrepreneurs, community leaders, and startups across industries and regions.
From social entrepreneurs, to community leaders, to startups, Impact Makers will showcase a range of impactful projects - proving that reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping people adapt to the realities of climate change is possible and change is already underway at speed and scale. Up to 50 Impact Makers will be profiled at Climate Week New York City, at COP 29 in Azerbaijan, and online, focusing on key areas such as energy, transport, land use, oceans, water, and human settlements.
Impact Maker nominations will be put forward by a diverse Steering Committee composed of expert international research institutes, climate resilience networks, social impact organizations and communications platforms. Impact Makers will be recommended for their innovation, resourcefulness and communications skills, as well as the impact and scalability of their initiative.
Anyone is encouraged to share a ‘before and after’ of a compelling climate action initiative on social media with the hashtag #COP29ImpactMakers, showing through photos or video how the initiative started, how it’s going and what the nominated Impact Maker did to drive effective climate action in their company, community, or city.?
Arpadarai emphasised, “Climate change is a global challenge, but it also presents an opportunity to create a fairer world. Through Impact Makers, I want to showcase inspiring stories and encourage collective action for the common good.”?
The campaign is underway and the first Impact Makers will be profiled on September 23 at Climate Week NYC.
Financing the Front-lines: Reforming Climate Finance for Indigenous Communities
To mark last month’s UN International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Razan Al Mubarak, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP 28 and Mafalda Duarte, the Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), penned an article for Thomson Reuters ‘Context’ - entitled ‘Indigenous peoples guard our nature. We must empower them.’ ?
Billions of dollars have been promised to support Indigenous communities in their fight to secure land tenure and build their capacity to address the climate and biodiversity crises. However, funding is not flowing fast or far enough - alarmingly, less than 1% of total climate finance is currently reaching Indigenous Peoples.?
GCF has committed USD 4 billion to projects that have the potential to benefit Indigenous Peoples across 80 countries, making it the largest fund of its kind supporting Indigenous Peoples.?
Acknowledging the barriers to direct access to finance, GCF has instituted an Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group to oversee its investments, ensuring they are fit for purpose and that they comply with the Fund’s Indigenous Peoples Policy. The GCF is also enacting reforms to increase support for the most vulnerable.
As the article states: ‘Global actors, including governments and financial institutions, have a responsibility to support Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination by ensuring financial support goes where we say it will. Crucially, we must overcome key barriers, such as investment strategies that shy away from smaller, diffuse, and remote populations, or worse: outdated biases about Indigenous Peoples’ capabilities.”
Note: Thomson Reuters regularly shares news and stories from the frontlines of climate change in the weekly newsletter: ‘Climate. Change .’
Global Data Study to Empower Indigenous Peoples
The Indigenous Peoples Global Partnership on Climate Change, Forests and Sustainable Development (ELATIA) was recently selected to conduct a Global Data Study on Indigenous Peoples' climate contributions.?
The Global Data Study sets out to not only highlight the vital role of Indigenous Communities in nature-based climate solutions, but also seeks to address the financial barriers they face. By compiling comprehensive data on Indigenous climate initiatives, the Study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of Indigenous knowledge and approaches - and advocate for direct access to climate finance. It will help design mechanisms that channel funds directly to Indigenous communities, bypassing intermediaries, ensuring that they have control over how resources are used. By promoting financial instruments tailored to Indigenous needs, ensuring equitable, culturally appropriate, and sustainable funding models, the Study should play a key role in supporting Indigenous leadership, while safeguarding their rights, customs and knowledge.
领英推荐
Commenting on the study, Grace Balawag, co-coordinator of the ELATIA partnership, said:?
“We plan to document evidence of the major contribution of Indigenous Peoples to climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions. It’s an excellent opportunity to amplify the voices and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples within the broader discourse on climate action, to unlock climate finance and encourage supportive climate policies.”
The Study is taking place over the next 18 months. Results of the data study are expected to be presented at COP 30 in Brazil to influence vital conversations on access to finance.
COP 29 Champion supports SME Climate Hub’s ‘Ambition Drive’
The UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP 29, Nigar Arpadarai recently supported the launch of the SME Climate Hub’s ‘Ambition Drive’ Campaign, to galvanise SMEs to commit to reducing their carbon emissions.
In addition, the global campaign calls for SMEs to join the Race to Zero by making the SME Climate Commitment. The goal is for 10,000 SMEs to make this commitment through the SME Climate Hub by COP 29.?
The Ambition Drive is a key pillar of the High-Level Champions’ Climate Proofing SMEs campaign, further details of which will be revealed at its launch this Monday 23rd September, during Climate Week New York.
Baku Climate Action Week to highlight Azerbaijan’s Green Transformation?
As the international community prepares for COP 29, the inaugural Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW 2024) will take place from 30 September to 4 October, providing a key moment in global climate discussions.??
Representatives from the business community, governments, academics, finance, cities, culture, civil society, and media will gather in Baku to address Azerbaijan's challenges due to climate change, explore the opportunities for the green transition, and set the groundwork for action at COP 29.?
Speaking about BCAW, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP 29, Nigar Arpadarai said:
“Azerbaijan is honoured to host COP 29 in November and the Presidency is sparing no effort to make it a success, so we can enhance ambition and enable action on climate change. We know that cities and the private sector have a key role to play in driving climate solutions and supporting international diplomacy. This is why I, as COP 29 High-Level Champion, and the COP 29 Presidency are proud to host the inaugural Baku Climate Action Week.”
Clean Energy Ministerial and Mission Innovation meeting
Ahead of COP 29, the Clean Energy Ministerial and Mission Innovation meeting (CEM-15/MI-9) will be held in Foz do Igua?u, Brazil from 30 September to 4 October. The discussions will happen at a key moment to drive a just, inclusive energy transition and help unlock trillions of dollars in investments, promoting a clean energy economy.
During the year’s largest clean energy event, the third edition of the Breakthrough Agenda Report, co-authored with the International Energy Agency, will be launched. The report will highlight the role of international cooperation - it mobilises non-State actors and governments around key priorities in six major emitting sectors – power, hydrogen, road transport, steel, cement and buildings to accelerate a just transition away from fossil fuels.
Together with ministers, senior policy makers, international organisations and private sector CEOs, the delivery of the 2030 climate solutions will be demonstrated through platforming real-economy leadership for public and private green procurement initiatives, strategies and mechanisms.
High on the agenda are the dialogues and best practices for financing the clean transition across key emerging markets and developing economies by leveraging public financing through coordinated actions.??
The CEM-15/MI-9 meeting is scheduled to happen on the margins of the G20 Energy Transitions Ministerial Meeting.
Race to Resilience Update
The Race to Resilience welcomes 39th partner: Acción Andina?
Acción Andina , the largest ecosystem restoration initiative in South America, has partnered with the Race to Resilience to support its aim to restore one million hectares of native forest.
As the flagship initiative of Global Forest Generation (GFG) , Acción Andina focuses on restoring high Andean ecosystems, which are crucial for climate resilience, water security, and preserving local culture.?
In partnership with the Peru-based nonprofit ECOAN , GFG provides strategic support, resources, and tools to grassroots partners, enabling the scaling of Nature-based Solutions, uniting local leaders to regenerate critical ecosystems and build resilient communities.?
Acción Andina achieves its goals by empowering local conservation leaders and communities to:
This approach fosters a local restoration economy, diversifies incomes, preserves traditional livelihoods, and secures vital water resources, essential for both food security and the continent's water supply.
Race to Resilience in Action:
Buenos Aires water utility leads climate fight with bold water strategies
Water is among the most vulnerable resources impacted by climate change. Across the globe, shifting weather patterns are leading to more intense and unpredictable precipitation, exacerbating both floods and droughts. In Argentina, these changes are being felt acutely. The country has experienced more frequent heavy rain events , resulting in severe flooding that overwhelms urban infrastructure and contaminates water supplies. Conversely, prolonged droughts are depleting river flows and groundwater, putting additional strain on water availability for agriculture, industry, and households.
In response to these challenges, Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos (AySA), which provides water and sewage services to over 14 million people in Buenos Aires and its metropolitan area, has taken steps to build resilience against the impacts of climate change.
One of AySA’s primary achievements has been the reduction of water losses by 13% over the past decade. This was accomplished through the implementation of a Non-Revenue Water Control Action Plan, which has improved the efficiency of water network management. By ensuring that more water reaches consumers, AySA is helping to conserve this precious resource in a city where climate variability increasingly threatens supply.
Find out more here .
10 ways S?o Paulo is leading the way in climate resilience
S?o Paulo, Brazil’s economic powerhouse with over 44 million residents, faces increasing threats from climate change. Intense rainfall, prolonged droughts, and unprecedented heat waves threaten the city, necessitating swift action to ensure a livable and equitable future.?
McCain Supports Potato Growers’ Shift to Regenerative Agriculture
McCain, a global leader in frozen potato products, has initiated an ambitious project to roll out regenerative agricultural practices across its potato acreage in France. The project aims to promote the transition towards regenerative agriculture practices by creating a network of farms in transition, leveraging pilot farms’ practices, and using soil health specialists to revamp the agricultural processes and protocols used by farmers growing crops for McCain.
The initiative responds to the urgent challenges of climate variability and rising input costs that potato growers face today. McCain is a member of the One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B) coalition, a Race to Resilience partner, which catalyzes action to protect and restore cultivated and natural biodiversity within agricultural value chains in food, beverages, textiles and cosmetics through regenerative agriculture.
Caribbean Resilience Finance Days - 11th October?
Race to Resilience partner, Scale for Resilience is hosting the Caribbean Resilience Finance Day , a virtual conference dedicated to strengthening climate resilience across the Caribbean’s financial sector. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative dialogue that will help shape the future of adaptation and resilience finance in the Caribbean!
Race to Zero Update
UK National Parks Joins Race to Zero
A very warm welcome to our new Race to Zero Partner, UK National Parks !
The 15 UK National Parks comprise diverse protected landscapes across England, Scotland and Wales. The National Parks have joined Race to Zero, and are driving action to lead a just transition to net zero – cutting emissions, scaling up nature-based carbon sequestration and protecting precious natural carbon stores whilst strengthening food security and rural economies for this and future generations.
Race to Zero Members in Action:
In case you missed it
Mark your calendar