High-Level Climate Champions

What High-Level Climate Champions does

The UN Climate Change High-Level Climate Champions is a facilitation role, not a commercial entity, established in 2016 within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) framework as part of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action. Its core function is to act on behalf of the President of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to facilitate, through high-level engagement, the scaling up and strengthening of voluntary climate efforts, initiatives, and coalitions, and to convene annually a high-level event with the UNFCCC Executive Secretary and incumbent and incoming COP Presidents. The Champions serve UNFCCC Parties, non-party stakeholders, climate initiatives, coalitions, and organizations engaged in voluntary climate action, bridging governmental policy and non-party stakeholder initiatives across global markets including the US, UK, and UAE.

The Champions do not sell products or services and have no proprietary technology, software platforms, or APIs. Operations are conducted through institutional channels including the dedicated climatechampions.net website, UNFCCC communications, COP events, and Marrakech Partnership activities. Funding flows from UN member state assessed contributions to the UNFCCC budget, with no external investors or private equity involvement. The role operates with a small team of 11-50 individuals, coordinating across the global climate action ecosystem.

Differentiators include the direct mandate from the COP President, annual high-level convening authority, and integration with the UNFCCC Secretariat and rotating COP presidency. The Champions' competitive advantage is fundamentally regulatory and institutional rather than commercial, deriving from their position within the intergovernmental climate negotiation process and their embedding in the Marrakech Partnership network that coordinates action across governments, businesses, and civil society.

Name

High-Level Climate Champions

Legal name

Climate High-Level Champions (UNFCCC)

Website

https://climatechampions.unfccc.int

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UN Climate Change High-Level Climate Champions is a facilitation role within the UNFCCC framework, established in 2016, that acts on behalf of the COP President to scale up voluntary climate efforts, initiatives, and coalitions through high-level engagement with Parties and non-party stakeholders globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Policy Facilitation

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Environment, Climate & Sustainable Development IGOs (BPADAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPAIAMAD), Environment, Climate & Sustainability Congresses (THAHAJAH)

Keywords

• Climate policy facilitation
• Voluntary climate action
• UNFCCC engagement
• Climate coalition building
• Global climate diplomacy

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Facilitates scaling up of voluntary climate efforts, initiatives, and coalitions through high-level political engagement on behalf of the President of the Conference of the Parties (COP). Operates within the UNFCCC Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, convening annual high-level events with the UNFCCC Executive Secretary and incumbent and incoming COP Presidents to accelerate global voluntary climate action across governments, businesses, and civil society.

Product overview

High-Level Climate Champions is a coordination and facilitation role operating under the UNFCCC Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, rather than a product or technology company. The Champions' core function is to facilitate high-level engagement to scale up and strengthen voluntary climate efforts, initiatives, and coalitions. They convene annual high-level events with the Executive Secretary and COP Presidents. The initiative does not offer software products, platforms, or technology services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• UNFCCC SecretariatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Climate High-Level Champions operate as a role within the UNFCCC framework, working closely with the UNFCCC Secretariat to facilitate engagement and coordinate climate action initiatives under the Marrakech Partnership.
• Presidents of the Conference of the Parties (COP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChampions act on behalf of the COP President and convene annually with both incumbent and incoming COP Presidents to drive high-level climate engagement and voluntary action scaling.
• Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChampions are integral to the Marrakech Partnership framework, which coordinates and scales voluntary climate initiatives, coalitions and non-party stakeholder engagement across all climate action domains.
• Voluntary Climate Initiatives and CoalitionsflagshipOthers

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: A global network of city mayors addressing climate change. Comparable as a high-level convening platform for non-state climate action with strong political legitimacy, though city-focused rather than multi-stakeholder.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): Global research organization providing data, analysis, and convening on climate and sustainability. Comparable as a high-credibility institution supporting voluntary climate action through research-driven convening.
• ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability: Global network of local and regional governments committed to sustainability. Comparable as a high-level political convening body for sub-national climate action, though focused on local governments rather than multi-stakeholder coalitions.
• UNFCCC Secretariat: The parent intergovernmental body that administers the Climate Champions role. Comparable as the formal multilateral framework hosting both the Champions and the COP process, though the Secretariat's mandate is broader (treaty administration, negotiations) while the Champions focus on non-party stakeholder convening.

Direct peers

• We Mean Business Coalition: Coalition of business-focused NGOs mobilizing corporate climate ambition. Comparable as a voluntary-action facilitation network operating in the same non-party stakeholder space.
• Race to Zero Campaign: UNFCCC-led campaign for non-state actors to halve emissions by 2030, convened under the Champions' leadership. Highly comparable as a UN-backed voluntary coalition initiative operating in the same Marrakech Partnership ecosystem.
• Climate Group: International NGO convening sub-national and corporate climate leadership (e.g., RE100, EP100, Under2 Coalition). Comparable as a multi-stakeholder facilitation body driving voluntary corporate and sub-national climate commitments.
• Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action: The framework under which the Champions operate. Comparable as the coordinating architecture for voluntary non-party climate action, sharing the same stakeholder base and COP-aligned governance.

Emerging players

• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Disclosure system for companies and cities to report environmental impact. Comparable as a non-state-stakeholder infrastructure underpinning voluntary climate commitments and corporate transparency.
• Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ): Financial-sector-led coalition of institutions committed to net-zero portfolios. Comparable as a voluntary coalition for climate action, intersecting the Champions' finance convening agenda.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/climatechampions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about High-Level Climate Champions