Ambassadors to the UN Called for a Stronger International Cooperation on Climate Change at the GCIC Event
Global Climate Innovation Summit and Ambassadors Forum Gala Dinner will be held in New York this September. The first Global Climate Innovator Challenge is launched. Finalists will have the opportunity to compete on an international stage and win valuable seed funding and start-up opportunities.(March 2 ET, New York, USA) At the United Nations headquarters in New York on March 2, ambassadors and permanent representatives from South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nigeria and many other countries to the UN were invited, as guest speakers, to call for a stronger international community cooperation on climate to overcome the challenges in the field of sustainable development at the roundtable forum on Sustainable Development, hosted by the Global Climate Innovation Coalition (GCIC), a non-profit organization. The organizer, GCIC, an NGO dedicated to addressing sustainable development with innovative solutions, also announced the launch of the Global Climate Innovator Challenge to empower young people with climate innovation ideas and practices, and a high-level international climate summit — Global Climate Innovation Summit, will be held in New York this September.
The guests exchanged ideas before the luncheon
PART 1
“Leave no one behind”
The roundtable was organized by the Global Climate Innovation Coalition (GCIC), a non-profit organization focused on sustainable development. Several ambassadors and permanent representatives to the UN were invited to participate and address the event."We should work together to overcome the problems in the field of sustainable development," said Monwar Hossain, Bangladesh's deputy ambassador to the UN. There are two main problems developing countries are facing: finance and technology.Mohan Pieris, Sri Lanka's Permanent representative to the UN, said, "We need to pay attention not only to climate change and sustainable development, but also to gender equality and climate change, because most of the environmental impacts and environmental harm are borne by women, especially in rural areas. We are supposed to build a future where all of us thrive together, with no one left behind. "
Sri Lankan Ambassador to the UN, Mohan Pieris delivers a speech ©GCIC Photo
"The cost of survival is on rise," said by Mabhongo Xolisa, South Africa's deputy ambassador to the UN. "We have to find ways to build healthier communities. We must rise to the challenge and reduce vulnerability brought by climate change.“Mutual cooperation is essential; we should also start locally at the same time to carry the promise out.” He added.
Permanent Representative of South Africa and Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Mabhongo Xolisa, delivers a speech ©GCIC Photo
Representatives in the US from China Broad, Air China, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and other enterprises, as well as well-known ESG experts from Wall Street attend the event ©GCIC Photo
PART 2
The High-Level Sustainability Summitwill be Held in New York this September
"As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's special report on global warming of 1.5°C indicates, we are at a critical juncture for the survival of our planet and its environmental systems. So, it has never been more urgent for us to constantly work together to build international cooperation on climate change." GCIC said in a speech.The organizer, GCIC, also announced at the roundtable event that it would launch the first Global Climate Innovator Challenge, which aims to provide a platform for the young generation around the world to showcase innovative climate ideas and projects and meet face-to-face with industry experts from around the world. The winners will have the opportunity to compete on an international stage and win valuable seed funding and start-up opportunities. In addition, GCIC announced at the event that it plans to hold a high-level international summit in New York City— Global Climate Innovation Summit in September, during the UN Climate Summit and New York Climate Week. The summit aims to provide a forum for representatives of civil society, governments, academics, and emerging entrepreneurs from around the world to discuss the latest solutions to climate change. The organizers also welcome any potential opportunity to connect and collaborate with all sectors to help build a global, cutting-edge climate communications platform in response to the UN's ambitious vision for a better future through sustainable development.The round-table forum was supported by the participation of officials from the UN Communication Division and the UN Environment Program. The Global Climate Innovation Coalition (GCIC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting innovation-centered climate actions and solutions, with impact and cutting-edge projects all over the world. GCIC cooperates with international talents and related friendly organizations from different fields, such as local governments, experts and scholars, business leaders, scientific research entrepreneurs, etc. to support the transformation of the global economy towards sustainable development and promote the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Representatives in the US from China Broad, Air China, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and other enterprises, as well as well-known ESG experts from Wall Street attend the event ©GCIC Photo
Passionate discussions by ESG experts and scientists
Climate change is affecting every corner of the globe, but some South-south countries that are ill-equipped to cope are influenced most. Regina C. Bphiri, Zambia's Deputy Ambassador to the UN, said “the past year has not been easy for Zambia, where climate change has had a great impact on the lives of local residents. Climate change is a global challenge, and its solution requires a global response. We need to cooperate to solve the problem of climate change." She said, “The cooperation here includes not only economic and environmental, but also institutional and other aspects.”Moreover, ambassadors or permanent representatives of Mali, Gambia, Haiti, Nigeria, Congo, Malta and other countries also attended the event and made speeches. Many representatives emphasized the importance of international cooperation in tackling climate change.At the roundtable forum, important guests from various backgrounds in the field of sustainable development and ambassadors sat together to discuss climate issues, and share their observations and reflections on climate change. Wall Street experts on ESG investment, such as Cohen & Steers, Caspian Investments, discussed the most important factors and methods for enterprises to do ESG, and some aspects that should be paid attention to in ESG investment. Experts from Cornell University, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania and other related fields discussed the relationship between academia and sustainable development, as well as climate change research and education.
The event also received support from mainstream media. The UN correspondent of Phoenix TV was invited to host the event, and the UN correspondent of China Daily and the head of Sina News in North America hosted two roundtables respectively. Permanent correspondents of Xinhua News Agency and CCTV were invited to attend. Besides, more than 70 important guests on climate change, including representatives from China Construction Bank New York Branch, Air China New York Branch, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China New York Branch, Broad Group USA and other Chinese enterprises, as well as representatives from multinational enterprises, top investment banks, investors, internationally renowned environmental protection institutions and research institutions, attended the event.
The UN correspondent of Phoenix TV, Chen Yingqian, was invited and hosts the event ©GCIC Photo
The head of Sina News in North America was invited and hosts the roundtable of "Academia and Sustainable Development" ©GCIC Photo
PART 4
GCIC Global Climate Innovation Summit
and Ambassadors Forum Gala Dinner
During every September, New York City is the global focal point for climate change and sustainable development. Major international events such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit and New York Climate Week bring together high-level officials, business leaders, industry elites and top experts from around the world to discuss major climate change and sustainable development issues. In this important context, the Global Climate Innovation Coalition (GCIC) will also host a high-level international summit in New York in September 2023 ---- Global Climate Innovation Summit and Ambassadors Forum Gala Dinner, which aims to provide a platform for NGOs, government officials, experts, academics and start-ups from around the world to discuss the latest solutions to climate change. GCIC also welcome the opportunity to connect and collaborate with all sectors to create a global and cutting-edge platform for climate change in response to the UN's ambitious vision for a better future through sustainable development.
The summit will include keynote speeches, roundtable discussions and a roadshow on climate innovation projects, addressing key climate change-related topics including clean energy, low-carbon acceleration, local practices, climate education, green finance, sustainable energy and more. Among all the activities, the roundtable discussion between ambassadors and officials accredited to the United Nations and conversations between mayors of local cities in China and the United States will be the highlights.
Key professors from Cornell University, New York University and University of Pennsylvania in attendance ©GCIC Photo
The summit will bring together leaders, experts, entrepreneurs and youth from around the world to discuss the social, economic and environmental impacts of climate change on the world and to promote sustainable development. The Summit will bring together environmental policy makers from around the world, local city mayors from China and the US, senior UN officials, senior executives from international environmental and energy agencies, executives from top 500 multinational companies, experts and academics from top research institutions and dozens of leading climate change organizations from around the world. Hundreds of climate leaders from politics, business and academia are expected to participate in the summit to support and promote climate innovation action and the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The summit will be a combination of online and offline events and will be held in conjunction with the annual Ambassadors Forum Gala Dinner. There will be offline sessions and live broadcasts in China, South Africa, Mexico and Zambia. The awards dinner will honor the winners of the Global Climate Innovator Challenge, and companies and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to climate innovation initiatives.
PART 5
Overview of Global Climate Innovator Challenge
The Global Climate Innovator Challenge is a not-for-profit competition dedicated to providing a platform for innovative and entrepreneurial teams related to climate change and sustainable development, closely aligned with the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The competition will provide a platform for innovative and entrepreneurial teams related to climate change and sustainable development to showcase their unique and meaningful innovative ideas. The competition will be judged by a multi-disciplinary, high-level panel of key experts in the fields of carbon neutrality, climate change, sustainable development and green finance from the United Nations, top universities, multinational corporations, and investment firms.
The Challenge is open to the young generation with climate innovation and entrepreneurial ideas and practices from around the world. The competition is divided into two categories: secondary school students and adults, with an online preliminary round, a semi-final round and an offline final round in New York.
GCIC Vice President Vicky Zhu announces the launch of the Global Climate Innovator Challenge and the Global Climate Innovation Summit to be held in New York in September ©GCIC Photo
Themes
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Secondary School Category: Developing policy recommendations and strategic visions to promote climate change and sustainable development to bring about positive change at the global, regional or local level.
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Adult Category: Focusing on implementable projects that put the needs and voices of stakeholders, customers, workers and communities at the heart of the competition, particularly encouraging innovative, unique and original approaches to previously neglected climate and sustainability issues.
Categories and Content
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Secondary School Category: Creative Video Track, Environmental Idea Book Track and Technology Mini-Ideas Track.
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Adult Category: Projects with valuable ideas and more developed product prototypes or service models, or projects that can focus on viable solutions that respond to the UN climate innovation and sustainable development goals.
Eligibility
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Secondary school students and adults from all over the world who are interested in climate innovation.
Competition Schedule
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Participants or teams can register on the GCIC website (www.gcic-sdg.org) or on the GCIC WeChat official account “GCIC-China”. They will enter the final round at the end of June and submit their finalists' materials in August, in preparation for the offline final in New York, or they can enter online. The finals will be held in New York in September this year, in conjunction with the Global Climate Innovation Summit.
Composition of the Judging Panel
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The organising committee of the challenge invites experts in the field of global climate environment and sustainable development, UN officials, government leaders, university teachers, well-known entrepreneurs and renowned investors to form an independent selection committee, which is responsible for judging the projects and guiding the innovation and entrepreneurship of the participating members.
Judging criteria
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The competition will be judged according to the focus of the different tracks, and points will be awarded from innovation, commerciality, technical evaluation and social value.
Award Setting
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Secondary High School Category: Winners will be offered the opportunity to work/intern at a renowned international organisation or a letter of recommendation from a renowned professor; finalists will be offered the opportunity to travel to Manhattan, New York to attend the Grand Final and the Climate Summit; outstanding performers will receive an internal recommendation for a job or internship with a renowned international organisation.
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Adult Category: Finalists will receive up to $10,000 in prize money; Finalist teams will be invited to attend the finals and the Climate Summit in Manhattan, New York.
Details of the competition programme will be published on the Global Climate Innovation Coalition (GCIC) website and on the official WeChat account.
Sheryl Schwartz, Managing Director of Caspian Private Equity and Independent Director of Cartesian Growth Corporation II, and other Wall Street ESG investment experts were invited as guests at the roundtable ©GCIC Photo
More than 70 people attended the event, including representatives of ambassadors from the UN system, top ESG experts from Wall Street, multinational executives, experts from leading institutions, representatives from Chinese companies and Chinese mainstream media ©GCIC Photo