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.
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.
RCW 2021 Organizing Partner Perspectives
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.
Regional Perspectives
**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
The Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week 2021 (LACCW 2021) Virtual Thematic Sessions were held on 11-14 May, hosted by the Government of the Dominican Republic and organized in collaboration with core partners – UN Climate Change, UNDP (UNDP), UN Environment (UNEP), and the World Bank Group. Regional partners include the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2021 (APCW 2021) Virtual Thematic Sessions were held on 6-9 July, hosted by the Government of Japan and organized collaboratively by core partners – UN Climate Change, UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank Group. Regional partners include the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES).
The Africa Climate Week 2021 (ACW 2021) Virtual Thematic Sessions were held on 27-29 September, hosted by the Government of Uganda and organized in collaboration with core partners – UN Climate Change, UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank Group. Regional partners include the Africa Union, the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).