The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will feature a series of high-level events, including the SDG Summit and the Climate Ambition Summit.

The SDG Summit is the second meeting of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to convene under the auspices of the UNGA at the level of Heads of State and Government since the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015. Marking the half-way point to the deadline for achieving the 2030 Agenda, the Summit aims to provide renewed impetus and accelerated actions.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged world leaders to bring forward national and global commitments, register these in the SDG Summit Acceleration and Accountability Platform, and report on their implementation in the context of the Voluntary National Review process. Another outcome of the Summit is the adoption of a political declaration. Informal consultations on the declaration started in February 2023 and it is set to be adopted during the opening segment of the Summit.

The Summit will feature six leaders’ dialogues on:

• scaling up actions on key transitions to accelerate SDG progress;
• building resilience and leaving no one behind;
• applying science, technology, innovation, and data for transformative action;
• strengthening the multilateral system for enhanced support, cooperation, follow-up, and review; and
• mobilizing finance and investments and the means of implementation for SDG achievement.

The Summit will be preceded by an “SDG Action Weekend,” which will provide a platform for stakeholder engagement and feature high-level side events.

The Climate Ambition Summit is being convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to demonstrate that there is collective will to accelerate the pace and scale of a just transition to a more equitable renewable-energy based, climate-resilient global economy. It will feature three tracks on ambition, credibility, and implementation. A Chair’s Summary will present the main outcomes of the Summit.

In the context of the ambition track, government leaders—especially major emitters—are be expected to present:

• updated pre-2030 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement;
• updated net-zero targets;
• energy transition plans with commitments to no new coal, oil, and gas;
• fossil fuel phase-out plans;
• more ambitious renewable-energy targets;
• Green Climate Fund pledges; and
• economy-wide plans on adaptation and resilience.

All main emitters and notably all G20 governments are asked to commit to presenting, by 2025, more ambitious economy-wide NDCs featuring absolute emissions cuts and covering all gases.

In the credibility track, leaders of businesses, financial institutions, cities, and regions are expected to present transition plans aligned with the UN-backed credibility standard for voluntary net-zero pledges. This standard is aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5°C, and calls just transition plans to stop and phase out fossil fuels and deliver actual emissions cuts without using offsets.

The implementation track will serve to present existing or emerging implementation partnerships addressing challenges and opportunities related to:

• accelerating the decarbonization of high-emitting sectors such as energy, shipping, aviation, steel, and cement; and
• delivering climate justice, such as through a reform of the international financial system, building early warning systems, and enhancing adaptation and loss and damage action.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) writers for this meeting are Jennifer Bansard; Soledad Aguilar; and Faye Leone. The Digital Editor is Diego Noguera. The Editor is Pam Chasek, Ph.D.