COP 26 CLIMATE & DEVELOPMENT

CLIMATE & DEVELOPMENT MINISTERIAL

An image showing a globe floating in space, colourised in green and blue
At the Climate Ambition Summit in December 2020, the COP President Designate announced that the UK will host the Climate and Development Ministerial on 31 March 2021.

The Climate and Development Ministerial convenes countries and partners to discuss the challenges and priorities for implementing the Paris Climate Agreement and Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development in the countries most vulnerable to climate change.

Conducted virtually, the event will bring together ministers and stakeholders to identify practical next steps on a series of priority issues for climate vulnerable communities ahead of COP26:

  • Access to climate finance
  • Responding to the impacts of climate change
  • Quantity, quality and composition of climate finance
  • Fiscal space and debt sustainability

View the Climate and Development Ministerial agenda here.

Please view the Chair’s summary, which captures the discussion and actions between the Ministerial and COP26, here.

Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance

We are pleased to publish a draft concept note for the Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance, on which we are working in partnership with Fiji and others. We will invite feedback from all interested partners, including governments, finance providers, and stakeholders shortly. This concept note will form the initial basis for discussions of the Taskforce’s Working Group and Steering Committee; we will look to convene those in coming weeks.

Read the Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance Draft Concept Note.

COUNTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS INVITED

The following representatives from countries and institutions will attend.

Countries at Session One: 0800-1030 BST (GMT +1)
  • Bangladesh – Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • Bhutan – Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • Ethiopia – State Minister 
  • Fiji – Minister for Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport
  • Germany – Parliamentary State Secretary
  • India – Minister of Environment
  • Italy – Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • Japan – State Minister for Foreign Affairs
  • Malawi – Minister for Natural Resources
  • Maldives – Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • Marshall Islands – Acting Minister-in-Assistance to the President and Environment
  • Pakistan – Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change
  • Philippines – Chair of Climate Change Commission and Finance Secretary
  • Sudan – Minister of Finance and Economic Planning
  • Tuvalu – Minister of Finance
  • UAE – Special Envoy for Climate Change
Institutions at Session One: 0800-1030 BST (GMT +1)
  • African Development Bank
  • Green Climate Fund
  • Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
  • European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • Asian Development Bank
Civil Society Speakers at Session One: 0800-1030 BST (GMT +1)
  • Nomindari Enkhtur – Youth Representative, CEO of the Mongolian Sustainable Finance Association
  • Sheela Patel, Co-founder of SPARC and shack dwellers international 
Countries at Session Two: 1500-1730 BST (GMT +1)
  • Antigua and Barbuda – Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment & Chair of AOSIS
  • Brazil – Environment Minister
  • Canada – Minister of International Development
  • Chile – Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • Colombia – Development Planning Minister
  • Costa Rica – Minister of Planning
  • DRC – Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Congolese Abroad
  • Egypt – Minister of Planning and Economic Development
  • EU – DG INTPA Director General
  • France – Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs
  • Gabon – Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • Grenada – Minister with responsibility for Climate Resilience and the Environment
  • Guinea – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Guineans Abroad
  • Jamaica – Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • Morocco – Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates
  • Norway – Minister of Development
  • Rwanda – Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • South Africa – Minister of Environment
  • Trinidad and Tobago – Minister of Planning and Development
  • United States – Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
Institutions at Session Two: 1500-1730 BST (GMT +1)
  • Adaptation Fund
  • Caribbean Development Bank
  • GEF
  • Inter-American Development Bank
  • IMF
  • World Bank
  • UN
Civil Society Speakers at Session Two: 1500-1730 BST (GMT +1)
  • Shah Rafayat Chowdhury – Youth Representative, and Co-founder and President Footsteps Bangladesh
  • Eileen Mairena-Cunningham – member of the Indigenous Peoples Major Group for Sustainable Development and Civil Society Organisation southern active observer to the Green Climate Fund.

ENGAGEMENT BEFORE THE MINISTERIAL

The Ministerial aims to be as inclusive as possible, with a broad range of countries and organisations represented. Whilst the virtual platform means participation must be limited to keep discussions dynamic, wider civil society and non-participating member states have opportunities to inform the discussions and contribute to developing solutions. This means that the outcomes of the Ministerial will reflect contributions made by both participating and non-participating countries, communities and organisations.

In late February 2021, an independent consortium of think tanks convened subject experts from academia and civil society in a series of workshops. These workshops enabled independent discussion and exploration of policy solutions in each of the four issue areas. The insights and options discussed at the workshops are in published reports and were provided to participants ahead of expert roundtable meetings which took place on 16 March and 17 March 2021.

The roundtables offered participating countries, civil society, and multilateral institutions the opportunity to engage and recommend actions in the four key issue areas. These recommendations will be discussed by ministers and decision makers convened at the Ministerial.

In parallel, on 22 March 2021, the UK’s Mission to the United Nations undertook an all Member States briefing to provide a forum for countries to come forward with their suggestions for the Ministerial.

The COP Unit also welcomes all countries to provide written suggestions by 31 March. Please email your suggestions to: cop26international@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

OPPORTUNITIES TO OBSERVE THE MINISTERIAL

A limited number of observers can register to watch the Ministerials as a webinar. Requests to observe are subject to confirmation from the organising team in order to manage numbers and to ensure that all observers are briefed that this meeting is taking place under Chatham House rules. Interpretation is provided into the 6 UN working languages.  If you experience any technical issues, please contact climatedevelopmentministerial@wiltonpark.org.uk.

Register to observe the first Ministerial (08.00-10.30 BST (GMT+1)) here

Register to observe the second Ministerial (15.00-17.30 BST (GMT+1)) here