By Laura Quinones
23 April
2025
The meeting was part of a joint
mobilisation strategy by the two leaders to strengthen
global action under the Paris
Agreement and build momentum for stronger national
climate plans to be announced in 2025.
The two-hour
session held behind closed doors included China, the
European Union, the African Union, the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, and small island developing
States.
Mr. Guterres described
it as one of the most diverse meetings of national leaders
focused exclusively on climate for some time, carrying a
powerful unifying message.
“As we heard
today, the world is moving forward. Full-speed ahead. No
group or government can stop the clean energy
revolution”, he declared at a press briefing
afterwards.
New national
commitments
He said many leaders pledged to
deliver ambitious new climate plans, formally known as
National Determined Contributions (NDCs), as soon as
possible in what he called a “strong message of
hope”.
Guterres announced that President Xi Jinping
confirmed during the meeting that China’s updated NDCs
would cover all economic sectors and all greenhouse gases
— a clarification he described as “extremely
important” for climate action.
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He added that these
pledges provide a vital opportunity to chart a bold path for
the next decade and most importantly, help speed up a just
transition away from fossil fuels to
renewables.
‘Economic opportunity of the
century’
Renewable energy production is
“the economic opportunity of the century,” he
said, describing it as the “pathway out of climate
hell.”
“The clean energy sector is
booming – creating jobs and boosting competitiveness and
growth worldwide…Science is on our side and economics have
shifted.”
The UN chief noted that prices for
renewables have fallen dramatically, offering “the surest
route to energy sovereignty and security, ending dependence
on volatile and expensive fossil fuel
imports.”
Since the 2015 Paris Agreement, global
projections for warming have declined, from over 4°C this
century to 2.6°C if current plans are
implemented.
But that still falls short of limiting
temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels –
the goal agreed in Paris by nations and endorsed by climate
scientists.
The Secretary-General urged leaders to
submit national plans that align with that target, cover all
greenhouse gases and sectors, and signal a full commitment
to achieving net zero emissions by
2050.
Strategic
mobilisation
According to a senior UN
official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss
background prior to the meeting, Wednesday’s summit was
“just another step” in the important effort to sustain
political momentum during a pivotal year for combating
climate change.
The group of invitees, the official
said, was “small but representative,” including major
economies, regional powers, former COP hosts, and
climate-vulnerable nations.
“This is a really
important year,” the official said, pointing to the 10th
anniversary of the Paris Agreement and the upcoming deadline
for countries to submit new climate
plans.
“This meeting is about reminding
leaders that climate remains a key priority – that
collaboration and multilateralism still
matter.”
A senior Brazilian official who
also took part in the background briefing said the UN
climate summit in Belém will move beyond negotiations to
focus on implementation, transparency, and delivery. “We
have already negotiated enough…now the world wants to see
action – results, examples, solutions.”
The
official also stressed that demonstrating tangible outcomes
is essential for restoring trust in
multilateralism.
“We want to prove that
multilateralism is not only about negotiating documents,”
they said, “but about making them
real.”
Call for justice and
finance
Mr. Guterres underscored the need to
direct far more support to developing countries, which face
the most severe impacts of climate change despite
contributing the least to global emissions.
“Africa
and other parts of the developing world are experiencing
faster warming – and the Pacific islands are seeing faster
sea-level rise – even while the global average itself is
accelerating,” he said.
He called on countries to
deliver a credible roadmap to mobilise $1.3 trillion per
year for developing nations by 2035, double adaptation
finance to $40 billion this year, and increase contributions
to the new Loss and Damage Fund created at
COP28.
No let up on climate
action
The Secretary-General also announced a
high-level UN event in September – just weeks ahead of
COP30 – to assess progress on climate plans and
finance.
The message was clear, according to Mr.
Guterres. “We cannot, must not, and will not let
up on climate
action.”
