Background
At the COP 21 United Nations climate change conference in Paris, governments agreed that mobilizing stronger and more ambitious climate action is urgently required to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. To connect the work of governments with the many voluntary and collaborative actions taken by cities, regions, businesses and investors, nations decided to appoint two high-level champions.
The champions work focuses on two crucial areas:
- Engage with interested Parties and non-Party stakeholders– This work builds on existing initiatives and supports new and more geographically diverse initiatives. Focus is placed on connecting initiatives and coalitions with national action plans such as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement. This helps bringing more transparency, with result tracking and lends demonstrable credibility to climate action.
- Input from the champions efforts to mobilize action helps the secretariat organize technical expert meetings and, in collaboration with the Executive Secretary and the current and incoming Presidents of the Conference of the Parties, coordinate annual high-level events to spur even greater ambition and action.
Current Climate High-Level Champions
COP31 Climate High-Level Champion: Samed Ağırbaş
Samed Ağırbaş is a sustainability leader and climate action advocate, currently serving as President of the Zero Waste Foundation.He brings extensive experience across youth engagement, environmental governance, and international cooperation, supporting inclusive and measurable climate solutions that accelerate climate action.
He has held key leadership roles in national youth platforms and contributed to multilateral processes focused on sustainable development, partnership-building, and long-term impact.
Ağırbaş studied Architecture and Urban Planning and earned an MBA in Business Administration and Finance from Mississippi State University. He is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Massachusetts. He also served as Special Advisor to the Executive Director of UN-HABITAT and as Advisor for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, advancing collaboration on climate, zero waste, and sustainable urbanization.
COP 30 Climate High-Level Champion: Dan Ioschpe
Dan Ioschpe is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ioschpe-Maxion and a member of the boards of WEG, Marcopolo, and Embraer.
He also serves as one of the Vice Presidents of FIESP (Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo) and IEDI and is a Board Member of Sindipeças.
In 2024, he chaired B20 Brasil. Born in Porto Alegre in 1965, he holds a degree in Social Communication from UFRGS (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), a postgraduate degree in Marketing from ESPM-SP (Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing), and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, USA.
The work of Climate High-Level Champions
