Traditional climate conferences make one think of negotiations, declarations and diplomatic commitments. But in recent years, we have witnessed a shift towards a different model of climate action, one less focused on pledges and more on delivery and actionable solutions.

“Climate weeks” have rapidly emerged as flagship platforms for turning regional climate commitments into practical action. From Bangkok, London, Manila and Yeosu, these annual gatherings share a common goal: bridging climate ambition and implementation. Their thematic priorities may vary from Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), climate adaptation, biodiversity, finance, loss and damage, community resilience and local governance, but their underlying purpose remains remarkably consistent.

Climate weeks are increasingly becoming spaces where governments, practitioners, investors, communities and researchers come together to answer a fundamental question: how do we turn climate commitments into real-world results?

Why did Yeosu feel different?

The Republic of Korea has a track record of hosting international environmental initiatives and Yeosu has become a strategic hub for the green transition and coastal resilience. What stood out about Yeosu Climate Week was its deliberate focus on implementation.

The event was structured in two distinct parts. A high-level forum brought together government representatives and decision-makers to discuss policy directions, national commitments and international cooperation. Then an implementation forum gathered practitioners, project developers, local governments, researchers, civil society organizations and representatives from communities, women and youth to exchange experiences on what is actually working on the ground.

This design helped bridge a persistent gap in climate discussions. Too often, climate conversations remain at the level of concrete policies and strategies put forward by official representatives of national governments. In Yeosu, the emphasis was on delivery: the roles of diverse actors, enabling conditions, partnerships and practical solutions. The objectives were to strengthen regional and global cooperation, accelerate climate finance and partnerships, support the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and build momentum towards COP31.

What does it take to make climate action investable?

I was invited by the UNFCCC Global Climate Action Team to serve as a speaker at an Impact Dialogue titled “Enabled and investable: multilevel governance for climate delivery” that brought together national and local governments, development actors, UN agencies, financial institutions, the private sector, academia, and civil society. The discussion addressed a challenge that many countries continue to face: Climate finance is not just about mobilizing more money. It’s about creating the conditions for investments to flow where they are needed most.

The dialogue explored how multilevel governance can transform national climate commitments into investable local projects. A key message was that the main bottleneck is often not a lack of funding, but the missing bridge between national climate frameworks and local implementation.

How can national climate commitments reach local communities?

I took the opportunity to share how SEI supports NDC implementation through four complementary areas: 1) direct engagement in formal climate processes, 2) analytical and advisory work on integrated mitigation and adaptation assessments, governance analysis, policy design and co-benefits, 3) development of tools, methodologies and global knowledge products to support climate planning at scale; and 4) capacity building, stakeholder engagement and implementation support to strengthen institutions and local ownership.

Drawing upon SEI’s work, I shared practical examples from Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia and Thailand to show how translating national priorities into local action requires more than project funding alone. It requires enabling conditions including information asymmetry, clear coordination across different levels of government and among ministries, practical and locally accessible capacity development, pipelines of bankable projects, stronger monitoring systems, inclusive planning processes and long-term local ownership.

Is adaptation finance finally moving from theory to practice?

I was invited to moderate a group discussion under the Knowledge and Foresight on Adaptation Finance. My discussion group focused on establishing project pipeline platforms to aggregate small-scale adaptation projects. This approach addresses a common challenge where many local adaptation initiatives and projects are too small to attract major investors individually. Aggregating projects creates scale, improves visibility and increases appeal to financing institutions. The interactive and practical discussion enabled participants to explore contextual differences across countries and identify potential partnerships for implementation. Rather than debating abstract principles, the conversation centred on pathways for action.

Key takeaways from Yeosu

Climate weeks are increasingly showing that implementation-focused climate action is gaining momentum. The Yeosu event reinforced several key messages.

• Climate weeks are no longer regional events. Although hosted in Asia, the conversations in Yeosu extended well beyond the region. Participants came from Africa, Europe and North America alongside actors from across Asia-Pacific.
• A diversity of stakeholders were actively engaged: governments, UN agencies, NGOs, academia, cities, youth groups, community organizations and development partners. Youth was placed at the centre and made visible and meaningful across many sessions. One notable gap was the relatively limited presence of private sector actors and philanthropic organizations. Given the scale of investment needed to meet climate goals, stronger engagement from these groups is essential.
• Cities, local governments and local communities are emerging as agents of change in climate delivery. Climate finance remains a critical enabler, but effective governance and institutional capacity are equally important.
• Stronger links between public institutions, private investors and philanthropic actors are still needed. Regional cooperation continues to provide valuable opportunities for peer learning, partnership building and synergies. Most importantly, climate action succeeds when national ambition is connected to local realities.
• Climate weeks like Yeosu cannot replace the COPs which remain the place where global ambition is negotiated. But Yeosu offered a glimpse of what that future could look like: less debate about climate action in theory and more on delivery.

The question now is not whether climate action should happen at the local level. It’s whether national and international systems can catch up quickly enough to support the local actors who are already leading the way.