June 2019: A preparatory meeting for the UN’s 2019 Climate Action Summit will convene in Abu Dhabi, UAE, to assess the progress of nine coalitions to develop transformative initiatives for announcement at the Summit. According to the agenda for the meeting, which takes place from 30 June to 1 July 2019, it will also include a series of Leaders’ Roundtables, the first climate and health ministers’ meeting, and sessions to examine synergies among the initiatives presented.

The Climate Action Summit will convene on 23 September 2019, at UN Headquarters in New York, US. Organized by the UN Secretary-General, the Summit has the aim of boosting ambition and accelerating actions to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change. During the Summit, “only the most ambitious coalition outcomes” will be on the stage, along with Heads of State and Government with ambitious and credible 2020 to 2050 plans, according to the Information Note on the Summit.

The global preparatory meeting for the Summit will bring together representatives of governments, business, local authorities, civil society, the UN, and youth. The meeting aims to identify and develop proposals for initiatives to be announced at the Summit. The criteria for initiatives to reach the Summit stage include: transformational impact; sustainable development co-benefits; replicable and scalable; measurable and implementable; and innovative and visible.

Nine coalitions are tasked with developing proposals for such initiatives for the following action areas: Mitigation Ambition; Energy Transition; Infrastructure, Cities and Local Action; Industry Transition; Resilience and Adaptation; Nature-based Solutions; Climate Finance and Carbon Pricing; Social and Political Drivers; and Youth Engagement and Public Mobilization.

According to the agenda, the preparatory meeting also will include a Leaders’ Roundtable on Raising Ambition, during which participants will share views on their countries’ efforts and needs to meet the 1.5˚C temperature goal, and discuss challenges to achieving what is required by the Paris Agreement. A Leaders’ Roundtable on NDC Enhancement will assess lessons learned from the first round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and explore the best ways to enhance them.

The First Climate and Health Ministers’ Meeting will discuss the climate-health nexus, and identify and share gaps and best practices. It will focus on air quality, reducing morbidity and mortality from climate-induced disasters and weather events, and financing approaches for the health-climate nexus. The Leaders’ Roundtable on Energy Transition for Climate Action will discuss the next generation of energy-related NDCs, policy targets to limit global warming to 1.5˚C, and measures up to 2020. It will also evaluate the viability and political requirements of the economic and policy measures, in terms of just transition and decent jobs, for emission reductions in the energy sector.

In addition, “synergies sessions” will analyze potential synergies among the initiatives presented and assess ways to improve and scale them further. These sessions will discuss: transitioning away from coal to renewable energy; building a resilient and carbon-neutral world, focusing on islands and least developed countries (LDCs); decarbonized and resilient infrastructure, cities and transport; and greening public and private finance.

Youth delegates will have the opportunity to interview UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and engage in dialogue with the chairs of the roundtables.

The UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Climate Action Summit, Luis Alfonso de Alba, will also address the meeting. [Abu Dhabi Meeting Webpage] [UN Climate Action Summit Webpage] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Call for Ambitious Action ahead of Summit]