About the Regional Climate Weeks

Regional Climate Weeks (RCWs) inspire individuals and organizations to become part of the momentum created by the global climate agreement in Paris. It is a unique collaborative platform where both governments and non-governmental organizations stakeholders gather to address the gamut of relevant climate issues under one umbrella.

Bringing together diverse stakeholders in the public and private sectors around a common goal of addressing climate change, is the main goal of the RCWs.

The RCWs include series of events that provide space for a grassroots exchange of knowledge and best practices across the region on: Implementation of  Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Global Climate Action (GCA).

Every year the RCWs are held in the following regions: Africa, Latin-America and Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific. As of 2020, a RCW was also to be convened in the Middle East and Northern African region. 

Core partners

UN Development Programme	UN Environment Programme	UNFCCC	World Bank Group

Throughout 2021, the Regional Climate Weeks 2021 convened more than 12,000 participants and helped build momentum towards COP26. Each Week took the pulse of climate action in the region, explored climate challenges and showcased solutions.

The Climate Weeks emerged as a platform for regional stakeholders to have their voice heard and contribute to COP26.

A Global High-Level Event at COP26 in Glasgow (WATCH HERE) recognized the contribution of all Regional Climate Weeks 2021 stakeholders by bringing together the COP President, host government ministers, and heads of global organizing partners – UN Climate Change, UN Development Programme, UN Environment Programme and the World Bank.

At the event, the organizing partners presented a Regional Climate Weeks 2021 COP26 Communique and a package of Regional Climate Weeks 2021 outputs to the UK COP26 Presidency as a resource for implementation.

Following the Handover, ministers from Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia-Pacific and Africa regions convened for  remarks on regional collaboration as an enabling force for global progress. This is a common theme that emerged throughout the Regional Climate Weeks and can be amplified moving forward. The Climate Weeks should prove useful for implementation following COP26, so partners have published this package of outputs for Parties and stakeholders.

The package includes an RCW 2021 Global Overview and Output Reports from each region – LACCW 2021, APCW 2021 and ACW 2021. We encourage interested policymakers, public and private sector leaders, members of civil society and the interested public to explore these reports. The Global Overview provides summary information of the entire Regional Climate Weeks 2021 series, global themes that emerged  and an explanation of the link to the UN Climate Change process. It is a great place to start. Then, explore the report that is most relevant to your region or your work for regional perspectives and solutions. 

To showcase the value of the Regional Climate Weeks 2021 for different stakeholder groups, Regional Climate Weeks 2021 global partners invite all host governments and regional partners to share their perspectives in a series of short videos. These videos are presented here and were played at the COP26 High-Level Side Event. 

**The Regional Climate Weeks 2021 Handover was attended by (from left to right):

• H.E. Mr. Shoda Yutaka, Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs, the Ministry of the Environment, Japan
• H.E. Ms. Beatrice A. Anywar, Minister of State for Environment, Uganda
• Mr. Abdul Rahim Sultan, Director General of the World Green Economy Organization
• H.E. Dr. Maximiliano Puig, Executive Vice-president of the National Council for Climate Change, Dominican Republic
• H.E. Mr. Waleed Ali Ahmed Salman, Vice-Chairman of the World Green Economy Organization 
• Mr. Achim Steiner, Administrator, UN Development Programme
• Ms. Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme
• Mr. James Grabert, Director Mitigation Division, UN Climate Change
• Ms. Milagros De Camps, Vice-Minister of Environment of the Dominican Republic
• Mr. Vivek Pathak, Director of Climate Business, International Finance Corporation on behalf of the World Bank Group
• Ms. Janet Rogan, UK Regional Ambassador for Africa and Middle East, COP26 Presidency
• Ms. Fiona Clouder, UK Regional Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean, COP26 Presidency
• Mr. David Moran, UK Regional Ambassador for Europe and Central Asia, Turkey and Iran, COP26 Presidency