The recipients of the 2019 United Nations Global Climate Action Awards were announced on Thursday, September 26, 2019, helping to shine a light on some of the most practical examples of what people across the globe are doing to combat climate change.
The award-winning projects range from an in-app programme that’s helped plant 122 million trees, to a “climate positive” burger that’s taking the fast food industry by storm.
The announcement of the award winners comes shortly after the UN Climate Summit in New York, convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and in parallel with Climate Week NYC.
“The recipients of the UN Global Climate Action Awards are leaders from communities, governments, businesses and organisations, and they are from all corners of the globe and all levels of society,” said Niclas Svenningsen, Manager of the UN Climate Change Global Climate Action Programme. “It is crucial we celebrate all actors who are leading the way. Their award-winning initiatives send a strong political signal to all nations – and through their leadership and creativity, we see essential change.”
Thursday’s announcement is part of the wider effort to mobilise action and ambition as national governments work toward implementing the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Announced against the backdrop of nations signalling their renewed determination to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, these awards shine a light on 15 incredible examples of scalable climate action around the world,” added Mr. Svenningsen. “These inspiring examples of climate action serve as beacons, guiding us towards a more resilient, more sustainable and more prosperous future for all.”
The UN Global Climate Action Awards are spearheaded by the Momentum for Change initiative at UN Climate Change. The projects are recognised as innovative solutions that not only address climate change, but also help drive forward progress on many other sustainable development goals, for example, innovation, gender equality and economic opportunity.
The 2019 awards were selected by an international Advisory Panel as part of UN Climate Change’s Momentum for Change initiative, which is implemented with the support of The Rockefeller Foundation, and operates in partnership with the World Economic Forum, donors supporting the implementation of the UN Climate Change’s Gender Action Plan and Climate Neutral Now.
“This year, we had over 670 applications from all over the world ranging from local governments, global companies, grassroots development initiatives and multi-million-dollar impact investment projects,” said Gabrielle Ginér, Chair of the Momentum for Change Advisory Panel. “This year’s winning activities are amazing examples of innovative, scalable, and replicable climate action. We hope they will inspire others as we look to tackle one of society’s biggest challenges.”
