Marking the halfway point to the 2030 Agenda, the SDG Summit and the Climate Ambition Summit aim to provide renewed impetus for accelerating the pace of change in the fields of sustainable development and climate action, respectively.

“A new paradigm of high-quality green development is well underway,” and China’s central role in driving this paradigm shift—and the lessons it offers for developing countries—was a key theme of the in-person meeting.

In a watershed moment for biodiversity, GEF Assembly members unanimously agreed to ratify the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund—a new source of funding for protecting endangered species and their ecosystems globally. The meeting also featured the first-ever Partnership Forum, which brought together Indigenous Peoples, youth, women, and representatives of civil society organizations to discuss ways the GEF can support their empowerment and recognition.

As the world contends with raging wildfires, floods, droughts and record-breaking temperatures, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) initiated its seventh assessment cycle by electing the leaders who will guide the Panel’s work in providing timely information to support policymakers as they confront a rapidly changing environment.