Panama Hosts 2025 Climate Weeks, May 19-23
UN Climate Change News, 13 March 2025- The UNFCCC secretariat is pleased to announce it is resuming Climate Weeks in 2025, aligning them more closely with the intergovernmental process under the Convention and the Paris Agreement, and helping to translate decisions adopted in this process into implementation on the ground.
The approach builds on the strong foundation laid by the former Regional Climate Weeks, while also recognizing the evolving needs of the climate agenda.
Climate Weeks will be held twice in 2025, maintaining a global perspective and providing a space for dialogue, capacity-building, and showcasing innovative solutions to advance the intergovernmental process and urgent, inclusive, and coordinated climate action.
Panama will host the first Climate Week in 2025, which will take place from 19 to 23 May in Panama City, while the second Climate Week of the year is envisaged to take place in Africa ahead of COP30.
Panama’s Minister of the Environment, Juan Carlos Navarro, said “now that COP30 is fast approaching, it is time to move from fragmented action to a truly integrated approach. Climate Week will be where policy meets investment to create an impact on the real economy. At Climate Week, Panama will present its Nature Pledge, a unique instrument that brings together climate, biodiversity and land objectives under a unified strategy.”
The Climate Weeks will bring together representatives of Parties and non-Party stakeholders and will combine several UNFCCC-mandated events, as well as high-impact policy dialogues, whose outcomes will directly inform the COP. This consolidated approach closely aligned with the intergovernmental process, will not only enhance ambition and delivery but also improve efficiency and streamline efforts across the climate calendar.
“Ultimately, this approach aims to help the government-led process to deliver faster progress and concrete outcomes that benefit all economies and people’s daily lives, while also delivering cost-savings in the process,” said Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary. “I also would like to recognize Panama, a nation that has achieved carbon-negative status and has 65% of its territory covered by forests, which has committed to hosting the first Climate Week in 2025. This effort highlights Panama’s dedication to strengthening and accelerating global climate action.”
Climate Weeks will serve as a strategic intersessional space that will help to build political momentum, taking place prior to the UN June Climate meetings (SBs) and to the COP each year. They will contribute to advancing the intergovernmental process, elevate climate solutions, support implementation and ambition, and show the benefits of strong climate actions in people’s daily life and the real economy.
The consolidated approach reduces the need for multiple, dispersed meetings, thus streamlining participation and minimizing scheduling conflicts across the climate calendar. This will significantly improve cost-effectiveness, and reduce operational complexity and travel needs.
Climate Weeks will remain highly inclusive and open, and are expected to bring together Party representatives, non-Party stakeholders, and key actors whose roles are essential to the thematic discussions, mandated events and policy dialogues that will take place.
Climate Weeks in 2025
The substantive priorities identified for the 2025 Climate Weeks include fostering the space to promote, support, and accelerate the submission of ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) before COP30 and advancing climate finance as a driver of implementation and ambition, accelerating the submissions of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), as well as the implementation of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) through the delivery and review of Biennial Transparency Reports, driving forward discussions on gender, inclusivity, just transition, access to public information, and promoting the implementation of Article 6, among potential others.
In addition, each Climate Week will feature policy discussions bringing together Parties and non-Party stakeholders, as well as training and capacity-building sessions, and solutions-focused exchanges.
Alongside Climate Week, Panama will host the Nature Summit, a global forum for investors to accelerate the green and blue transition.
https://unfccc.int/news/climate-weeks-return-in-2025-panama-to-host-from-may-19-23