Prince William Joins Global Leaders to Combat Climate Change at U.N.

Britain’s Prince William met United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Monday to discuss speeding up the fight against climate change and preserving the environment, a U.N. spokesman said. Their talks also touched on how best to enhance implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and attend to financing for development.

Prince William’s visit comes as world leaders have descended on New York City for their annual high-level meeting at U.N. headquarters. On Wednesday, Secretary-General Guterres will host a “no-nonsense” climate ambition summit.

Now, the Sustainable Development Goals laid out in 2015 have made their way to the centre of these leaders’ discussions, which include goals like ending hunger and extreme poverty, combating climate change, and achieving gender equality. Guterres reiterated that these goals need a global rescue plan.

Prince William’s visit to New York is tied up with the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, where he will announce the finalists of this year’s environmental award, which he launched back in 2020 to find solutions to urgent environmental challenges. In his speech, Prince William said that bold action by his generation is needed now so they can leave behind them a healthier and more sustainable world.

Prince William will, on Tuesday, bring together business executives, climate advocates, and policymakers with U.N. Special Climate Envoy Michael Bloomberg in attendance. The participants include former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, among others. It is Prince Williams’ first time to tour New York since 2014, when he was accompanied by his wife Kate Middleton. He visited Boston last December to attend the Earthshot Prize award ceremony, where he also had an encounter with President Joe Biden.