Climate High-Level Champions

Driving bold climate action across countries, companies and communities

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Climate High-Level Champions, Action Agenda

Championing global climate action

The Climate High-Level Champions help turn the goals of the Paris Agreement into action people can see and measure. Acting on behalf of their COP Presidents, the Champions bridge governments and the real world solutions, working with businesses, investors, cities, regions, civil society, and other partners to scale up voluntary climate action.

The Champions lead the Global Climate Action Agenda, which brings together initiatives and coalitions to cut emissions, strengthen resilience, and support the shift to sustainable economies. This includes helping partners collaborate, remove barriers, and connect action with the priorities governments are working on through the UN climate change process.

The role of the Champions was created at COP21 in 2015. Champions serve two-year terms, so there are always two Champions active at the same time: one from the current COP Presidency and one from the incoming COP Presidency. This is critical to ensuring continuity and momentum-building year on year.

Samed Ağırbaş

COP31 Climate High-Level Champion, Türkiye

Samed Ağırbaş

Samed Ağırbaş is a sustainability leader and climate action advocate, currently serving as President of the Zero Waste Foundation. He brings extensive experience across youth engagement, environmental governance, and international cooperation, supporting inclusive and measurable climate solutions that accelerate climate action.

Samed Ağırbaş

Ağırbaş has held key leadership roles in national youth platforms and contributed to multilateral processes focused on sustainable development, partnership-building, and long-term impact.

Ağırbaş studied Architecture and Urban Planning and earned an MBA in Business Administration and Finance from Mississippi State University. He is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Massachusetts. He also served as Special Advisor to the Executive Director of UN-HABITAT and as Advisor for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, advancing collaboration on climate, zero waste, and sustainable urbanization.

Dan Ioschpe

COP30 Climate High-Level Champion, Brazil

Dan Ioschpe

Dan Ioschpe is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Iochpe-Maxion and a member of the boards of WEG, Marcopolo, and Embraer. He also serves as one of the Vice Presidents of FIESP (Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo) and IEDI and is a Board Member of Sindipeças. In 2024, he chaired B20 Brasil.

Dan Ioschpe

Born in Porto Alegre in 1965, he holds a degree in Social Communication from UFRGS (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), a postgraduate degree in Marketing from ESPM-SP (Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing), and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, USA.

Activating Ambition Loops

When businesses invest in climate action, governments are incentivised to create better policies. When governments create better policies, businesses invest more.

And when people and communities take action – such as changing how they live, what they buy, who they vote for – they push governments and businesses to go further too. This cycle of feeding ambition across every level of society is what the Champions activate.

By bringing the right businesses, investors, cities and communities into the room and connecting them to the right government decisions, the Champions help unlock the scale of action the climate crisis requires.

Learn more

Meet the leaders who have shaped the role of the Climate High-Level Champions since 2015, driving climate ambition and inspiring action around the world.Past Champions

Nigar Arpadarai

Nigar Arpadarai

Nigar Arpadarai was the Climate High-Level Champion for COP29, Azerbaijan. In this role, she drove landmark initiatives including Climate Proofing SMEs – mobilizing small and medium-sized businesses toward net zero – and the Impact Makers campaign, which empowered individuals to accelerate climate action globally. Read more.

Nigar Arpadarai

Nigar Arpadarai is an independent Member of Parliament for Azerbaijan, representing one of the central constituencies of Baku city since 2020. She was elected to parliament after 15 years of professional experience in international organizations, sports and telecommunications.

Prior to becoming a Member of Parliament, Ms. Arpadarai was the Director of the Marketing and Communications Department and the official spokesperson of the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix since its inception in 2016. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in law and international relations from Baku State University.

Razan Al Mubarak

Razan Al Mubarak

Razan Al Mubarak was the Climate High-Level Champion for COP28, UAE. Here, she championed the intersection of nature and climate action, and the leadership of Indigenous Peoples, driving commitments on ecosystems and biodiversity to accelerate the global transition to a nature-positive economy. Read more.

Razan Al Mubarak

Mahmoud Mohieldin

Mahmoud Mohieldin

Mahmoud Mohieldin was the Climate High-Level Champion for COP27, Egypt. In his role, he pushed for fairer climate finance and coordinated scaled up affordable funding for developing countries. Among his flagship initiatives was the Regional Platform for Climate Projects. Read more.

Mahmoud Mohieldin

Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin is an economist with more than 30 years of experience in international finance and development. Dr. Mohieldin was the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP 27, Egypt. He currently serves as the Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund representing the Arab States and The Maldives. He has been the United Nations Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda since February 2020.

Previously, Dr. Mohieldin was the Minister of Investment of Egypt from 2004-2010, and more recently, served as the World Bank Group Senior Vice President for the 2030 Development Agenda, United Nations Relations and Partnerships. Dr. Mohieldin also served on several Boards of Directors in the Central Bank of Egypt and the corporate sector. He was a member of the Commission on Growth and Development and was selected a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2005.

He is a Professor of Economics and Finance at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University and as a Visiting Professor at several renowned Universities in Egypt, Korea, the UAE, the UK and the USA. He is a member of the International Advisory Board of Durham University Business School. Dr. Mohieldin holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom; an M.Sc. in Economics and Social Policy Analysis from the University of York, United Kingdom; a Diploma of Development Economics from the University of Warwick; and a B.Sc. in Economics from Cairo University. The American University in Cairo bestowed Dr. Mohieldin degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, in recognition of his status as a leading public servant at both the national and international levels focusing on economic reform, development, and inclusion. He has authored numerous publications and articles in leading journals in the fields of economics, finance, and development.

Nigel Topping

Nigel Topping

Nigel Topping was the Climate High-Level Champion for COP26, UK. Here he spearheaded the Race to Zero campaign and introduced 2030 Breakthrough targets, building the largest ever coalition of real-economy actors on climate. Read more.

Nigel Topping

Nigel is an industrialist, economist and climate diplomat. He was part of the team that built TMD Friction into the number one global manufacturer of brake pads.  For the last two decades Nigel has been using his industrial experience to champion the role of business in tackling climate change, co-launching many collaborative initiatives such as We Mean Business, SBTi, Race to Zero, Race to Resilience and GFANZ.  He is the business champion on the UK Climate Change Committee and the climate expert on the board of the UK National Wealth Fund. He was the UN Climate Change High Level Champion for COP26 and founded Ambition Loop with Gonzalo Munoz in 2024.

Gonzalo Muñoz

Gonzalo Muñoz

Gonzalo Muñoz was the Climate High-Level Champion for COP25, Chile. In this role, he launched the Race to Resilience campaign and introduced the Climate Action Pathways, embedding adaptation ambition at the heart of global climate action. Read more.

Gonzalo Muñoz

Gonzalo is also the co-founder of Ambition Loop, an NGO working on pressing climate and nature issues. Previously, he co-founded and led TriCiclos, one of the most recognised Latin American companies in circular economy and recycling. TriCiclos was the first company certified as a B Corp outside North America. Gonzalo also co-founded Sistema B and Polkura Winery. Currently, he sits on the board of the Global Foodbanking Network, CDP Latin America, IDB Invest, Chapter Zero Chile, TED Future Forum, and ECODES Spain, among others. He has been a member of the National Committees on Water, Climate Action, Green Hydrogen, Electromobility and Circular Economy. Also, he is co-founder and leader of Manuia, supporting companies to incorporate ESG criteria in their strategy and operations to generate triple impact.

Tomasz Chruszczow

Tomasz Chruszczow

Tomasz Chruszczow was the Climate High-Level Champion for COP24, Poland, where he led the 2019-2020 and work programme, including relaunching the Global Climate Action portal - NAZCA - which provides a snapshot of climate action across countries, and helps identify potential collaboration across sectors. Read more.

Tomasz Chruszczow

Inia Seruiratu

Inia Seruiratu

Inia Seruiratu was the Climate High-Level Champion for COP23, Fiji. He amplified frontline voices, particularly from Pacific island nations, placing climate vulnerability, ocean health, and loss and damage firmly on the climate agenda. Read more.

Inia Seruiratu

Hakima El Haite

Hakima El Haite

Hakima El Haite was the Climate High-Level Champion for COP22, Morocco. She established the Marrakech Partnership, creating the enduring framework that unites governments, businesses and civil society in delivering the Paris Agreement climate goals. Read more.

Hakima El Haite

Laurence Tubiana

Laurence Tubiana

Laurence Tubiana was a key architect of the Paris Agreement, ensuring the contributions of non-State actors – including businesses, cities, investors and civil society – were reflected in the world’s first climate accord. She was appointed as the first High-Level Champion and published a roadmap to outline this new role, consulting with Parties and non-State Actors on global climate action. Read more.

Laurence Tubiana

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