UN Climate Summit: Thematic Sessions and Programme

The UN Climate Summit 2014 is scheduled to take place on September 23, at the United Nations Headquarters. It will address some very important issues in preparation for an international climate agreement in 2015. Here is a breakdown of the climate summit's thematic sessions and programme.

Thematic Sessions

Heads of State and Government will co-chair the four Thematic Sessions being held during the Climate Summit at United Nations Headquarters.

An integral part of the Summit, each session will feature a moderated discussion amongst four panel speakers as it zeroes in on an essential facet of the global climate change discussion: climate science; the co-benefits of climate action with a focus on health and jobs; the economic case for climate action; and voices from the climate front lines (including the views of women, youth, indigenous and other vulnerable populations).

The four themes were selected after extensive consultations with Member States and civil society representatives. Each Thematic Session aims to give voices with a stake in the climate change discussion a visible platform for sharing their views and interacting with Member States. Speakers represent civil society and academia, policy experts, decision-makers at the local and provincial levels, young people and other constituencies.

Each session will be co-chaired by a Head of State or Government from a developing country and a developed country and hosted by one or more United Nations entities. Two Thematic Sessions will be held during two concurrent sessions. Each individual session will run 75 minutes.