NY Climate Week Opens Alongside UNGA80, Spotlighting Land’s Role in Climate Fight

Global leaders gather in New York as calls grow to improve land governance and management in regions hit hardest by climate change.

NEW YORK — New York Climate Week 2025 kicked off on Sunday and runs through Sept. 28, coinciding with the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The overlap of the two events brings together heads of state, international institutions, businesses and civil society, creating a rare moment when climate, development and human rights discussions converge in the same city. For the global land governance and land management sectors, the timing carries particular significance.

New York Climate Week 2025 coincides with the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, drawing global leaders and activists to spotlight how various development and humanitarian issues are shaping climate resilience in the world’s most vulnerable regions.

In regions most affected by climate change — from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, to Latin America and small island states — land is the foundation of livelihoods, food security, cultural identity and resilience. Climate change amplifies pressures on land through drought, floods, sea-level rise and desertification, often hitting hardest where tenure is insecure and governance is weak. Secure land rights and effective management are essential for adaptation, disaster risk reduction and long-term investment in resilience.

Forest landscapes, wetlands and soils are also among the planet’s most important carbon sinks. Decisions about how land is governed directly affect whether these ecosystems are preserved, degraded or restored. The global energy transition adds further complexity, as demand grows for land to host solar farms, wind parks, hydropower and biofuel production. Poorly governed land-use decisions risk displacing vulnerable communities and fueling conflict.

The Convergence of Climate Week and UNGA

The simultaneity of Climate Week and the UN General Assembly matters because announcements made in New York during this period often set the tone for global cooperation. Countries are under pressure to submit updated or enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions, which outline commitments under the Paris Agreement. Many of these plans include targets related to land use, reforestation, and ecosystem protection. Whether they recognize customary tenure systems, women’s land rights and Indigenous stewardship will determine whether such pledges are inclusive and effective.

Finance is another area where the overlap matters. Adaptation and restoration projects in severely impacted countries have long been underfunded. As climate finance gains prominence in both Climate Week discussions and General Assembly debates, there is an opportunity for land tenure and management priorities to be integrated more explicitly. Without such integration, large-scale reforestation or carbon offset projects risk repeating past mistakes of land dispossession and “green grabs.”

What to Expect This Week

Observers expect that some governments will unveil enhanced climate commitments that incorporate land use and land restoration. Several international organizations and development banks have signaled that they will highlight new financing packages for nature-based solutions, many of which depend on secure and transparent land governance. The test will be whether these announcements include safeguards to ensure benefits flow to communities on the front lines of climate change.

Food security, migration and adaptation are also likely to feature prominently. Smallholder farmers, who produce much of the world’s food in developing countries, require secure access to land to invest in climate-resilient practices. Meanwhile, land degradation and water scarcity are driving displacement in multiple regions. Linking land governance to these debates could help shift global attention toward practical, locally grounded solutions.

Stakes for Severely Impacted Countries

For heavily affected countries, this week is more than symbolic. Leaders from across the Global South will be present in New York, and many are expected to press for stronger commitments that reflect their realities. Secure land tenure and improved land administration can enhance resilience, reduce vulnerability, improve food security and slow forced migration. Yet these countries also face risks. If global climate pledges rely heavily on land-based mitigation strategies without adequate protections, local communities could be further marginalised.

The simultaneous opening of Climate Week and the General Assembly creates a platform to elevate land governance within the global climate conversation. Success for the land sector would mean explicit references to tenure security in climate pledges, robust finance commitments directed to local actors and community-led initiatives, and clear safeguards for equity and rights. Failure to address these issues risks leaving land as the fragile hinge of the climate agenda — essential, but too often overlooked.