Prince William of Britain held a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Monday to discuss the joint efforts required to accelerate the fight against climate change and protect the environment, as confirmed by a UN spokesperson.
During their meeting, they also explored strategies to enhance the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and financing for development.
Prince William’s visit to the UN headquarters in New York coincided with the annual high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, where world leaders gathered. UN Secretary-General Guterres is set to host a “no-nonsense” climate ambition summit on Wednesday.
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Furthermore, leaders convened at the United Nations on Monday and Tuesday to deliberate on the Sustainable Development Goals, a 2015 global agenda designed to address key challenges such as eradicating hunger and extreme poverty, combating climate change, and achieving gender equality.
Prince William’s visit to New York is related to the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, during which he will unveil this year’s finalists for the environmental award he initiated in 2020. The Earthshot Prize aims to discover solutions to significant environmental challenges.
Reflecting on the visit, Prince William stated, “Eighty years ago, the world came together in this great city to find a new way, through the U.N., to solve our shared challenges. I know our generation can take the bold action we need to make changes towards a healthy and sustainable world.”
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On Tuesday, Prince William is scheduled to host a gathering of business leaders, climate activists, and policymakers. Attendees will include UN Special Climate Envoy Michael Bloomberg, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
This trip marks Prince William’s first visit to New York since 2014. He previously visited Boston in December 2020 for the Earthshot Prize award ceremony, during which he also met President Joe Biden.