Sixth Global Climate and SDG Synergies Conference
Unleashing Synergies Towards an Equitable, Climate-Resilient, and Sustainable Future
27-28 May 2025 | UN City, Copenhagen, Denmark
Leaders and experts at Copenhagen Conference urge
synergies on climate action and SDGs, including on financing
and NDCs
Government ministers and climate envoys, senior UN officials, experts and activists wrapped up two days of intensive dialogue with some clear recommendations for how to promote integrated solutions to the climate emergency and sustainable development crisis, as the Sixth Global Conference on Climate and SDG Synergy concluded on 28 May. Nearly 400 participants from some 50 countries joined in person, at UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark, with many hundreds more watching online.
Finance Ministries and more private investment needed
Finance was considered a key area for synergy, with available resources for investment continuing to fall short of what is needed for both climate and development. According to a summary of the conference outcomes, there was a strong suggestion that Ministries of Finance must play a central role in driving climate action, integrating both emissions reduction and adaptation priorities in economy-wide planning and support for sustainable development. Climate and development goals can be jointly financed, including through climate adaptation, renewable energy and nature-based solutions. Much greater financial support is needed for both climate and SDG actions in developing countries, but it should increasingly be linked to sources of private financing, many participants felt.
Leveraging national commitments
It is important for countries to leverage the next round of enhanced national climate commitments (NDCs) due this year under the Paris Agreement, as well as national adaptation plans (NAPs), to move towards a more inclusive, greener, low-carbon, climate-resilient economy, participants agreed. A compelling business case can be made for greater private investment, considered to be crucial, as climate action can be designed to promote economic growth -- and the private sector can enhance NDCs by developing feasible investment plans and projects. Countries as wide-ranging as Cambodia, Spain and Uzbekistan shared how they were using their national climate pledges to drive broader improvements.
Whole-of-government, whole-of-society
Integrated planning and coordinated implementation, such as by leveraging synergies in energy, food and agricultural systems, water and transport, can help to realize substantial cost savings and maximize co-benefits, the conference reinforced. A whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach is needed, and national climate plans should prioritize marginalized communities and vulnerable populations such as women, youth and indigenous peoples, for a just transition, including by incorporating retraining programs and social protection programmes. Youth representatives were a major presence at the event, including at a dedicated youth dialogue, and closed the conference with a call for greater youth involvement in decision-making, saying, "we are here and we are ready to take action."
Specific solutions shared
The need for solutions specific to particular national challenges and ecosystems was an oft-cited message across sessions at the conference, with participants sharing many innovative practices from their countries and cities. These included rain harvesting and solar-powered water desalination in Tuvalu, greening the desert in Egypt, smart wetlands restoration in Colombia, deriving new biofuels from sea grasses, upgrading energy infrastructure to conserve and protect water sources, and creating new land areas in Copenhagen to be used for both protection from rising sea levels and green urban development. Solutions for small island developing states (SIDS) and coastal cities were discussed, as they face major challenges from climate change.
The way forward
With a call to all countries and stakeholders to prioritize and invest in synergistic action in order to address today's interconnected crises of climate, development, nature, peace and security, the recommendations of the conference will be fed into the deliberations at the upcoming Fourth UN Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Spain and Climate COP 30 in Brazil. The co-convenors of the conference, UN DESA and the UNFCCC Secretariat, were asked to continue collaborating with partners to strengthen efforts to elevate synergies on the political agenda and to facilitate dialogue, including through these annual synergy conferences through 2030.
The Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergies, whose efforts were welcomed by conference participants stressing the need to keep building the evidence base, will issue a number of reports this year, whose key messages were previewed in Copenhagen. Three thematic reports, to be released at the UN High-Level Political Forum in July, will focus on synergies to: boost health impacts in cities; connect action for biodiversity and nature with development; and close the insurance protection gap. The Group's Third Global Report will be launched in September 2025. It was noted that this analytical work can be an important contribution in the lead-up to 2030 deadlines to boost action and close the ambition gap on climate and the SDGs and to inform upcoming discussions on future development goals.
The conference was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and many partners contributed to making the discussions fruitful, including the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, the UN Development Programme, the UN Environment Programme, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and the Danish NGOs CONCITO and DanChurch.
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- For inquiries, contact: climate-sdgs-synergies@un.org