Denmark and Iceland among “first movers and doers” at no-nonsense Climate Summit

Secretary-General António Guterres (right) meets with Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark.
Secretary-General António Guterres (right) meets with Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark.

Two of the Nordic Countries, Denmark and Iceland, are among forty specially selected countries to speak at the UN Climate Ambition Summit.

Unusually for the many climate meetings at the UN the Climate Ambition Summit will feature only the “first movers and doers” – those leaders who have responded to the Secretary-General’s call for accelerated action to tackle the climate crisis.

When António Guterres, the UN chief announced the global event last December, he said he expected “a no-nonsense summit”, with no exceptions and no compromises.

“There will be no room for back-sliders, greenwashers, blame-shifters, or repackaging of announcements from previous years,” he said.

Hellisheiðarvirkjun.
Hellisheiði Geothermal power station, Iceland. Photo: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

The list of speakers at the Summit includes national and local governments as well as business leaders, financial institutions and representatives of civil society who come with credible, ambitious actions, plans and policies to show. As such, the Summit aims to champion solutions and inspire more leaders to step up and join the “first movers and doers.”

States, regions and institutions

Of the 40 selected speakers 12 are from Europe, including the European Union and the city of London. France and Germany are featured but not the United Kingdom. The insurance company Allianz is on the speakers´list as well as the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, the State of California and the World Bank.

For more information on the Climate Ambition Summit see here

The Summit can be watched live here.

On the UNGA78 see here and here.