Opening Keynote at the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial

Distinguished colleagues, dear friends,

I greet you all with my deepest respect. Let me begin by extending my sincere thanks to our Danish hosts, to Selwin Hart, to all United Nations agencies, to my predecessor André, and to my dear friend Chris for their steadfast support.

This year, we have had the pleasure of meeting many of you in Berlin at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, in Paris at the COP31–International Energy Agency High-Level Dialogue, in Santa Marta, and in Baku at the World Urban Forum. Across all these gatherings, one theme has come clearly to the fore: electrification. And today, we want to launch a truly global conversation around it.

At present, electricity accounts for roughly 20 percent of final energy consumption. We must aim to raise that share as much as we possibly can. This means not only decarbonizing the way we generate electricity, but also expanding electrification into every sphere of life. As we do so, we must make the technologies of the future accessible at scale — and we must ensure that no one is left behind.

The COP31 Presidency’s Action Agenda priorities on clean energy, clean cooking, resilient cities, and industrial decarbonization will serve as critical platforms for delivering tangible progress in this area. We are already working hand in hand with key partners, including the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, and the Global Renewables Alliance.

But this effort cannot be carried by institutions alone. It needs the energy, commitment, and leadership of everyone in this room. So today, we want to hear from you: how can we move faster, together? And what can each of you bring to this global effort to raise the share of electrification?

“We want to start a global conversation about electrification.”

Distinguished colleagues, we know that climate action is being advanced through many different coalitions, platforms, and initiatives — each looking at the challenge from its own perspective. Each of these efforts has something valuable to offer to our common goals. As the COP31 Presidency, we see our role as creating the space for those different voices to be heard — and for those efforts to connect.

Of course, we fully respect the Party-driven nature of this process. We need meaningful dialogue both inside the negotiations and outside them. There is real value in creating spaces beyond the formal talks — spaces where we can speak openly, build trust, and work together on practical solutions. Under the new model of the Global Climate Action Agenda, we will have precisely those kinds of forums: places where cooperation can turn ideas into action.

We also call on all stakeholders to help secure the financing of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. We believe national roadmaps are the foundation of collective action and of the Paris system itself. To have the greatest possible impact, these roadmaps must remain anchored in the UN climate process. They should be submitted as Nationally Determined Contributions, and they should be supported by Biennial Transparency Reports. We also attach particular importance to National Adaptation Plans. These roadmaps should strengthen the system — not fragment it.

Dear friends, we have already made clear that our work will focus on thematic priorities aligned with the Global Climate Action Agenda. I would also like to underline our focus on oceans and coastal communities. For billions of people living along the world’s coasts, oceans are not an abstract climate issue. They are a source of food, livelihoods, identity, and security.

And we have heard, again and again, that finance is the key to moving from ambition to full implementation. As the COP31 Presidency, we are approaching this challenge from two sides. First, we are looking at the practical steps needed to scale up climate finance for the developing world. We will do this by working with all actors to advance the Global Implementation Accelerator, an additional mechanism, and the recommendations of the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap. We want COP31 to be a place where international private-sector actors come together and help mobilize real climate finance.

We will hold donors accountable for the commitments they made under the 300-billion-dollar Baku Finance Goal. Concessional and grant-based public finance will be indispensable — especially for developing economies that need to adapt, build resilience, and respond to loss and damage. We will continue working with financial institutions to make finance easier to access. To that end, we will work to triple funding from UN climate funds by 2030. The replenishment of the Green Climate Fund this year will be critical. Developed countries must also submit their first biennial communications this year, showing how they will deliver their fair share of the Baku Finance Goal.

It is easy to say we support global climate action. But promises must be kept. Through our Action Agenda, we are determined to strengthen this process and speed up the move from discussion to delivery.

I now hand the floor to my dear friend and colleague, Chris Bowen. Thank you all.