Asia-Pacific Climate Week Gears Up to Boost Climate Ambition.

UN Climate Change News, 4 July 2019— Seizing the opportunity of the incredible momentum of climate action, and Asia-Pacific countries being at the forefront of innovation to tackle the climate crisis, the upcoming Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2019 (APCW) is gearing up to boost the region’s response to the current climate emergency.

The Week is being organized by the United Nations Climate Change in partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and other international and regional organizations, which include the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme DTU Partnership, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank, the International Emissions Trading Association, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and the Climate Technology Centre and Network and will take place at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, from 2 to 6 September 2019.

The APCW provides a space to develop multi-stakeholder climate action in the spirit of the Talanoa Dialogue, in reference to the traditional Pacific islands notion of an inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue.

The world is at a critical juncture in its efforts to tackle the climate emergency. As underlined by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Abu Dhabi earlier this week, leadership at the highest level is urgently needed to close the ambition gap between current national climate plans (known as Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs) and what is needed for the international community to meet the central Paris Climate Change Agreement goal of limiting global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

The results of the APCW will feed into the outcome of the Climate Action Summit organized by the Secretary-General on 23 September in New York, thereby boosting ambition and accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Discussions in Bangkok will focus on five of the nine Summit’s tracks: energy transition; industry transition; infrastructure; cities and local action; resilience and adaptation; and nature-based solutions.

The results of the APCW will also be a key contribution to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) to be held in Santiago, Chile, from 2 to 13 December.

The APCW’s agenda, now available online, features a spectrum of leaders from the public and private sectors, from local to national governments, from investors to business leaders, and from representatives of the youth and the civil society to UN officials.

Ministers of Thailand and from countries in the region, local authorities, regional leaders from public and private sectors, youth and civil society and senior UN officials will gather on Wednesday, 4 September for the opening of the High-Level Segment. 

Registration for the Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2019 is open here.

Opportunities to showcase action in the Asia-Pacific region

In parallel to the agenda of events, climate actors from around the region are invited to showcase groundbreaking climate solutions through the following ways of engagement:

• Side Events provide opportunities for organizations to conduct a session on topics aligned with the agenda of the 2019 APCW. Deadline for applications is 28 July.
• An Action Hub provides a platform to showcase innovative climate action and ideas on a stage in the centre of the exhibition space (each slot lasts 15-30 minutes). Deadline for applications is 4 August.
• Exhibition Booths provide opportunities for organizations to showcase their work throughout the APCW. Deadline for applications, on a commercial basis, is 26 August.
• A Knowledge Corner provides NGOs, youth organizations and educational institutions with a shared booth to exhibit their work. Deadline for applications is 4 August.

Interested organizations can apply here.

ABOUT THE REGIONAL CLIMATE WEEKS

Organized every year in Africa, Latin America & Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific, the Regional Climate Weeks are unique collaborative platforms for government and non-Party stakeholders to address the full spectrum of climate issues under one umbrella and unity of purpose. The central aim is to bring together diverse stakeholders in the public and private sectors around the common goal of addressing climate change.

APCW ORGANIZERS

Organized by the United Nations Climate Change in partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and other international and regional organizations, which include the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme DTU Partnership, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank, the International Emissions Trading Association, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and the Climate Technology Centre and Network.

MORE INFORMATION

• For media enquiries, contact the UN Climate Change’s secretariat at press@unfccc.int
• To learn more, visit www.regionalclimateweeks.org (available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese).
• For further questions on how to get involved, contact the climate week team at Climate-Week@unfccc.int
• Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #ClimateWeekAP
• Registration for the Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week (Salvador da Bahía, Brazil, 19-23 August) is also open here.

5 July 2019

UN ENVIRONMENT