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From Yeosu to Baku: UN Climate Weeks shift focus from pledges to implementation ahead of COP31 – EnviroNews
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Governments, businesses, cities, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, international organisations and civil society are shifting the global climate conversation from ambition to implementation as UN Climate Week 4 (CW4) opened on Monday, September 7, 2026, in Baku, Azerbaijan, ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
The Baku meeting, which runs until September 11, 2026, builds on lessons and practical solutions shared at UN Climate Week 3 (CW3), held in Yeosu, Republic of Korea, last April, where nearly 1,500 participants examined how climate commitments can be transformed into projects that deliver measurable benefits for people, communities and economies.
The central message emerging from Yeosu was that the challenge facing the world is no longer simply identifying what needs to be done to tackle climate change. Countries already recognise the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen resilience and support vulnerable communities.
The more pressing challenge, participants agreed, is how to translate climate plans into bankable, scalable and practical solutions capable of attracting investment and becoming embedded in the real economy.
“To speed up and scale up, we must work together to turn commitments into more real-world implementation, delivering real benefits for people, communities and economies,” UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, said in his opening remarks at the Yeosu meeting.
Under the Paris Agreement, countries have developed climate strategies through their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). However, moving from policy commitments to concrete projects remains a significant hurdle, particularly for developing countries.
At CW3, several countries and institutions showcased models designed to bridge the gap between climate planning and implementation.
Brazil, for instance, presented its Climate Investment Platform, a country-led mechanism that identifies priority climate projects and links them with potential financing partners. The platform brings together government ministries, development banks, climate funds and private investors and has reportedly mobilised about $5 billion for 18 projects.
The Brazilian model offers a potential pathway for countries seeking to convert national climate plans into structured investment pipelines.
Cambodia also showcased its Climate Financing Facility, a blended finance mechanism embedded within a national public financial institution. Rather than establishing parallel structures, the facility relies on existing institutions to channel funding towards priority climate investments while encouraging private-sector participation.
The examples underscored the growing importance of building financial systems capable of supporting long-term climate transformation.
Beyond finance, participants highlighted operational projects already producing tangible results.
In Nepal, community forestry programmes have transformed forest management over the past three decades. More than 23,000 local forest user groups now manage over 2.4 million hectares of forest, contributing to increased forest cover, improved livelihoods, biodiversity conservation and greater climate resilience.
In coastal Bangladesh, integrated climate-resilient water systems are helping communities adapt to growing climate risks. The initiative combines rainwater harvesting, solar-powered infrastructure, water filtration and women-led governance systems and now benefits more than one million people.
Pakistan, meanwhile, presented its National Biochar Accelerator Programme, which converts agricultural waste into biochar while creating new economic opportunities for rural communities. The initiative aims to reduce emissions, improve soil health and generate additional income streams for farmers.
Clean Energy Needs More Than Solar Panels and Wind Turbines
Renewable energy featured prominently at the Yeosu meeting, but participants stressed that deploying solar panels and wind turbines alone would not guarantee a successful energy transition.
Attention increasingly focused on the systems required to support clean energy expansion, including modern electricity grids, energy storage, enabling regulations, skilled workforces and affordable financing.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) identified grid modernisation as one of the most urgent requirements for accelerating the global energy transition.
As renewable energy capacity expands, inadequate grid infrastructure is increasingly emerging as a major obstacle to integrating clean power into national electricity systems.
The Global Offshore Wind Alliance also presented approaches for supporting emerging markets to develop offshore wind industries through stable policy frameworks, concessional financing and stronger partnerships between governments, investors and industry.
The discussions reinforced the view that energy transitions must be built around integrated systems rather than isolated infrastructure projects.
Digital Innovation Takes Centre Stage
Artificial intelligence, digital platforms and advanced data systems also emerged as important tools for accelerating climate implementation.
Participants explored applications ranging from AI-assisted reforestation and climate risk modelling to satellite monitoring and digital decision-support systems.
A key concern was ensuring that developing countries are not excluded from the benefits of emerging technologies.
The Technology Mechanism Initiative on AI for Climate Action is aimed at supporting Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States through capacity building, knowledge sharing and locally adapted technological solutions.
Participants, however, stressed that technology must remain accessible, transparent and centred on the needs of people and communities.
The discussions on digital innovation are continuing in Baku, where CW4 is examining ways to maintain the integrity of climate information in an era increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence.
The meeting will also consider how digital climate tools can be safely scaled, alongside discussions on the new NAZCA portal and a pilot Net-Zero Recognition Framework designed to track climate commitments made by cities and companies.
Locally Driven Solutions Gain Global Recognition
Another major lesson from Yeosu was the importance of locally driven climate action.
Across discussions on adaptation, loss and damage, food systems and social development, participants repeatedly emphasised that climate solutions are more effective when they reflect local realities and priorities.
Indigenous Peoples and local communities shared knowledge developed through generations of environmental stewardship, highlighting the value of combining scientific research with traditional and local knowledge.
Experiences from Bhutan, small island states and mountain communities demonstrated how locally led approaches can produce responses better suited to the specific environmental and social challenges facing communities.
The Yeosu meeting showed that many climate solutions are already moving beyond theory, with operational models delivering measurable impacts and offering opportunities for replication and scaling.
Baku Picks Up Where Yeosu Left Off
The lessons from CW3 are now shaping the agenda of UN Climate Week 4 in Baku, which is expected to consolidate the year’s climate implementation discussions ahead of COP31 in Antalya.
Financing models presented by Brazil and Cambodia are expected to inform sessions on climate finance for agriculture and food systems, as well as discussions involving the COP31 Presidency on improving access to finance.
Similarly, conversations on integrated energy systems and clean infrastructure will continue through implementation-focused sessions on decarbonising construction and heavy industries.
The Baku programme includes high-level discussions on transparency, a “Final Mile” workshop aimed at supporting countries completing their Biennial Transparency Reports, the 2026 Adaptation Forum and a Regional National Designated Entity Forum for Eastern Europe.
As the climate calendar moves towards COP31 and the second Global Stocktake, the focus is increasingly shifting from promises to delivery.
The message connecting Yeosu and Baku is clear: the next phase of global climate action will be judged less by the number of commitments announced and more by the ability of governments, institutions and communities to turn those commitments into practical solutions that can be financed, implemented and scaled.