UN Climate Week kicks off in Addis with focus on climate action
Environment & Climate
By
Sharon Wanga
| Sep 01, 2025
The second United Nations Climate Week started on Monday, September 1, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
It brings together governments, financiers, businesses, civil society, and Indigenous groups to accelerate climate action ahead of the COP30 global climate conference in Belém, Brazil, this November.
The week-long event, organised by the UN Climate Change, seeks to scale up real-world climate solutions while advancing Africa’s climate agenda.
It will culminate in the Second Africa Climate Summit, scheduled for September 8–10, where leaders are expected to push forward commitments on climate finance, adaptation, emissions reduction, green growth, and community empowerment.
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“We are at a vital moment in the world’s climate journey. Climate Week in Addis Ababa is a chance to share and scale up real-world solutions, and help spread the real-life benefits of climate action to more people across Africa and around the world: more resilient economies, more jobs, better health and quality of life, more secure and affordable clean energy for all,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell.
Deputy Executive Secretary Noura Hamladji added that the forum aims to bridge the gap between global negotiations and local realities.
“At the heart of our programme is the Implementation Forum (3–4 Sept) — bringing together negotiators with implementers in governments, financiers, businesses, civil society, and Indigenous Peoples,” said Hamladji.
This year’s Climate Week features new Implementation Labs that will address pressing challenges such as adaptation finance, strengthening public-private partnerships, scaling up climate-smart agriculture and forestry, and empowering communities across Africa.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Planning and Development, Fitsum Assefa, emphasised the importance of aligning Africa’s priorities with the global agenda.
“What we build in Addis Ababa through both the Africa Climate Summit 2 and Climate Week will strengthen implementation, unlock finance, and set the stage for COP30 and beyond. Together, these moments demonstrate that climate solutions must be locally rooted yet globally resonant if we are to build a sustainable future for all,” she said.
Mosses Vilakati, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment at the African Union Commission, echoed the sentiment, noting that connecting Climate Week with other key forums “establishes a unified platform that turns dialogue into practical, scalable climate solutions and funding, fostering a resilient and green continent.”
The Addis Ababa gathering marks the second Africa Climate Summit, following the inaugural meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2023.