At the COP 21 United Nations climate change conference in Paris, governments agreed that mobilizing stronger and more ambitious climate action is urgently required to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. To connect the work of governments with the many voluntary and collaborative actions taken by cities, regions, businesses and investors, nations decided to appoint two high-level champions.
The champions work focuses on two crucial areas:
- Engage with interested Parties and non-Party stakeholders– This work builds on existing initiatives and supports new and more geographically diverse initiatives. Focus is placed on connecting initiatives and coalitions with national action plans such as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement. This helps bringing more transparency, with result tracking and lends demonstrable credibility to climate action.
- Input from the champions efforts to mobilize action helps the secretariat organize technical expert meetings and, in collaboration with the Executive Secretary and the current and incoming Presidents of the Conference of the Parties, coordinate annual high-level events to spur even greater ambition and action.
Current Champions
High-Level Champion of Egypt: Mahmoud Mohieldin
Mr. Mahmoud Mohieldin is an economist with more than 30 years of experience in international finance and development. He is an Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund and has been the United Nations Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda since February 2020.
He was the World Bank Group Senior Vice President for the 2030 Development Agenda, United Nations Relations, and Partnerships until January 2020.
Mr. Mohieldin held numerous senior positions in the government of Egypt, including minister of investment from 2004 until 2010. He also served on several boards of directors, including the Central Bank of Egypt and the banking and corporate sector. He was a member of the Commission on Growth and Development and selected a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.
He is a professor of economics and finance at Cairo University, an honorary professor at Durham University and a member of the Advisory Board of the Durham Business School. He also held leading positions in national and regional research centers and think tanks. He has authored numerous publications and articles in leading journals in the fields of international finance, economics, and development in English and Arabic.
He received his doctorate in economics from the University of Warwick, M.Sc. in economic and social policy analysis from the University of York, and B.Sc. in economics, first in the order of merit, from Cairo University.
High-Level Champion of United Kingdom: Nigel Topping
Mr. Nigel Topping was the CEO of We Mean Business until December 2019, where he drove radical collaboration for climate action among NGOs working with the world's most influential businesses. This coalition played a key role in bringing the constructive voice of business in support of the Paris Agreement and, under Nigel's leadership has continued to drive ambition and action to accelerate the transition to a zero carbon economy.
Previously, Nigel was Executive Director of CDP, launching new programs and partnerships including supply chain, water, forests and cities. Nigel has 18 years’ experience in the private sector, including as a member of the management board of the world's largest manufacturer of brake pads, TMD Friction.
Nigel is a commissioner on the Energy Transitions Commission and has been instrumental in the launch of many collaborative initiatives such as Science Based Targets, Business for Nature and the Global Commons Alliance.
He holds an MA in Mathematics from Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK and an MSc in Holistic Science from Schumacher College, Devon, UK