Programme

Join us for the annual Swedish COP-tail and Climate Karaoke! 🌍🎤 Sweden is not only a pioneer of innovative climate solutions, but also a global music powerhouse – home to legends like ABBA, Avicii, Roxette, First Aid Kit, Swedish House Mafia, Max Martin, and the world’s leading music streaming platform, Spotify.

At COP31, WBCSD, UNIDO and its partners are advancing an ongoing dialogue around how policy, finance, infrastructure, technology, and partnerships can accelerate investment and implementation across the Critical Middle. Building on the momentum generated at COP29 and COP30, this roundtable will provide an opportunity for public and private sector leaders to exchange perspectives on priorities, barriers, and opportunities for collaboration.

Countries are being asked to translate climate commitments into energy-sector decisions amid rapidly changing demand, fiscal constraints and competing development priorities. This requires more than a one-off plan or time-limited technical support: it requires sustained national capability to develop evidence, test options, update priorities and carry decisions through to implementation.

Current adaptation policies and decision-making processes do not adequately account for the long-term needs of children, youth and future generations. Their perspectives remain underrepresented in climate negotiations, adaptation planning and monitoring. Considering the immense consequences the climate crisis will have, the inclusion of youth, especially from the Global South, in climate change adaptation negotiations and the implementation of youth-specific adaptation targets become increasingly important. 

The 10 New Insights in Climate Science report shows that climate risks are already reshaping markets, supply chains, infrastructure and investment decisions. From accelerating sea-level rise to water stress, food-system disruption and the growing costs of climate damages, the latest science has important implications for Swedish companies. This session will explore what climate impacts and scientific advancements mean for business, where action can still reduce risks and how Swedish companies can respond to a warming world. 

This session launches the report “The Future Starts Today - What young people contribute to the UN climate agenda and what makes it possible” together with key partners.

The Food Systems Summit will bring together industry, government and international organisations to accelerate climate-resilient and sustainable solutions across the “Critical Middle” of food systems, including processing, packaging, logistics, cold chains and distribution. The Summit will focus on the policy, finance and partnerships needed to reduce food loss, strengthen resilience and move from recognition of the Critical Middle towards coordinated implementation and investment.

Climate councils are the officially mandated advisory bodies to governments on climate change. Amidst rising levels of mis- and disinformation globally, climate councils are a trusted source of information, taking complex data and evidence and transforming this knowledge into actionable insights for policymakers. This session, the official launch of the International Climate Councils Network's first Annual Report, will highlight case studies from around the globe that demonstrate how climate councils support governments to implement climate policy.

As countries move from climate commitments to implementation, how can governments and businesses work together to translate national climate priorities into concrete business and investment opportunities?

How can industry transform without leaving workers behind?  Drawing on practical experiences from IF Metall, Volvo, and SKF, this seminar explores how labour-management cooperation and skills development contribute to a just green transition. The discussion highlights lessons from the European Works Councils and Global Works Councils as well-functioning structures for social dialogue, and their relevance for industrial transformation across the globe.