Why next week’s ‘Special Event on Climate Action’ is fundamental to the EU’s place in the world.
This September’s 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) comes at a critical moment for global climate diplomacy. Among the high-level discussions, our attention will be on the Special High-Level Event on Climate Action convened by the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. António Guterres. The event, taking place on Wednesday 24th September, is designed to serve as a platform for leaders who wish to present their new climate plans (or ‘NDCs’) aligned with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature limit.
In today’s fractured and uncertain global order, ambitious climate action is one of the strongest stabilising forces we have – essential to protect security, food systems, and human dignity, and to keep 1.5°C within reach. For Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, the 80th UNGA is a pivotal opportunity for the European Union and its member states to demonstrate leadership: not only by championing the Paris Agreement and 1.5°C-aligned climate action in multilateral fora, but also by strengthening alliances with like-minded partners across regions. The EU and its Member States must urgently put to work their deep foreign and climate policy expertise, and extensive diplomatic reach to champion the rules-based international system aligned to the Paris Agreement and human rights, international rules-based system, and above all – human dignity.
The stakes could not be higher. The first Global Stocktake (GST), concluded at COP28, confirmed the dangerous gap between current pledges and the action needed to avoid irreversible climate breakdown. The science is unequivocal: emissions must fall by almost half this decade, yet policies on the table remain far off track. As reinforced over the summer by the landmark ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate change, the EU and its Member States have obligations under international law in respect of climate change, including a legally binding duty to provide financial resources, technology transfer, and capacity-building to developing States.
Here, the EU’s credibility is on the line. The EU has historically positioned itself as a champion of multilateral climate action. But for CAN Europe, and our allies across the world, climate justice must be at the heart of EU bilateral relationships – meaning better working conditions, lower household energy prices, and the inclusion of local communities in climate planning. The fight for climate action is inseparable from the fight for justice and equity – principles that must also guide the EU’s diplomacy and external relations.
This autumn, the EU will participate in two major bi-regional summits: the EU–Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (EU–CELAC) Summit and the EU–African Union (EU–AU) Summit. These gatherings provide a vital opportunity to establish a new partnership model for the whole world to see – one that strengthens both multilateralism, advances climate justice, and brings wins for people by capturing the economic opportunities of the just renewable energy transition, and addresses structural inequalities. African civil society voices, as highlighted in the recent African Climate Summit joint statement, have been unequivocal in calling for accelerated renewable energy deployment, rejection of fossil fuels, and a just transition that prioritises social and economic equity. Now is the moment for the EU to walk the talk via bi-regional diplomacy – with climate and social justice placed at the heart of Europe’s external relations.
Civil society across the regions is calling for partnerships that move beyond narrow trade or investment agendas. Instead, they must prioritise equitable access to finance, support just energy transitions, and guarantee safe operating space for civil society itself. In the case of EU–CELAC, CAN Europe and CAN Latin America (CANLA) have issued a joint statement highlighting the urgency of moving towards a relationship built on solidarity, mutual accountability, and climate ambition. This includes concrete expectations for leaders: a commitment to ambitious NDCs, transformational cooperation on economic reforms, transition pathways to 100% renewable energy, adaptation towards resilient local and global communities, and resolute protection of human rights, peace, and freedom of expression.
What happens in New York, Belem, and in these bi-regional summits is deeply interconnected. High-level signals of ambition must be backed by practical cooperation and climate just partnerships. The EU has the opportunity – and responsibility – to ensure that its domestic climate ambition, its role at the UN, and its partnerships with other regions form a coherent whole: acting as a force for good in the world, and especially in Gaza.
As the window to limit warming to 1.5°C narrows, the coming months will test whether governments can rise to the challenge. For CAN Europe, the message is clear: the EU must step forward with integrity, ambition, and solidarity – from UNGA to COP30, and in every partnership in between.
