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Climate Diplomacy Fund summary 2023 to 2024

Published 27 March 2025

Overview

The purpose of the Climate Diplomacy Fund is to support delivery of climate diplomacy policy objectives. The fund reflects the importance of Climate Change in foreign policy priorities, as highlighted in the UK government’s Integrated Review Refresh.

Objectives on Climate Diplomacy

The Climate Diplomacy Fund (CDF) is a non-ODA priority for the International Programme in 2023 to 2024. The objective of the CDF this financial year was to help deliver the Glasgow Pact following COP26, build the conditions for a successful outcome at COP28 and support our bilateral relationships and the Government’s energy, climate and environment objectives.

The projects ranged from supporting clean growth and developing climate change legislation to supporting green finance initiatives and tackling biodiversity loss. Below is a sample of the projects that were delivered in 2023 to 2024:

Argentina

In Argentina, the Climate Diplomacy Fund supported the Argentine Sustainable Finance Protocol and its members, public and private banks and financial institutions, in the development of agricultural sector investment guidelines. We shared UK best practice, including the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero’s series of resources to support risk analysis and transition planning across the financial sector.

This tool will be incorporated into the Environmental and Social Risk Analysis System that banks perform in the country, helping re-direct financial capital towards climate resilient businesses.

Chile

In Chile, the CDF delivered a bilateral dialogue between Chile and UK on the implementation of climate change laws, with focus on the challenges of the implementation of carbon budgets and climate governance. Two British experts from the UK Climate Change Committee visited Chile, where they held technical meetings with the Minister of Environment and the Interministerial Technical Team for Climate Change.

We also organised a seminar open to public, with UK Climate Change Committee, Chile Climate Change Committee and other experts discussing on climate governance. The CDF also supported the work that regional governments and other organizations are doing around circular economy policy, promoting the UK as a leader on this topic.

European Union

In Brussels, the Climate Diplomacy Fund delivered a climate and environment public diplomacy Speaker Series that leveraged UK innovators and experts to influence ambition and action in the EU institutions and beyond. The Series positioned the UK as a leading climate actor in Brussels.

In the longer term, it laid foundations for an enhanced UK-EU partnership on international climate diplomacy to jointly drive global action. We also co-hosted Ambassadorial roundtables on climate finance and COP28 with the UAE, and on the Bridgetown Agenda with the Special Envoy to the PM of Barbados. Our events were described by senior EU officials as ‘the best thing the Mission does’ and ‘provides speaking notes for my meetings’. 

USA

In the US, the Climate Diplomacy Fund delivered three panel events focusing on transportation electrification. Two panel events hosted by British Consul General San Francisco at the EVS36 Conference, showcased the UK’s expertise and ambition around Electric Vehicles. The panels were hosted in partnership with the Accelerating to Zero Coalition.

The third panel event hosted by British Consul General Los Angeles brought together three LA climate and energy experts to discuss the transportation electrification and clean energy partnerships needed to deliver a car-free and sustainable Olympic Games in LA in 2028.

All panel events were used as an opportunity to encourage other states and municipalities in the US to sign up to the ZEV Declaration and the Accelerating to Zero Coalition, raise awareness for the Accelerating to Zero Coalition’s work, and showcase the UK leadership in this space. 

Colombia

In Colombia, the Climate Diplomacy Fund has supported the new area under the UK-Colombia Partnership for Sustainable Growth aimed to “Halt and reverse biodiversity loss and ocean degradation, and promote sustainable bio-economy opportunities and natural resource management”. To deliver on this, we have been deepening our work on oceans and biodiversity -including advancing the Illegal Wildlife Trade agenda both regional and at the national level.

Through CDF, we supported the delivery of two key events: the Launch of the Royal Foundation’s ‘United for Wildlife’ Chapter for Latin America and the Caribbean, where key stakeholders from the private sector, government, law enforcement and NGOs met to create a regional network of collaboration and discuss how to jointly tackle the Illegal Wildlife Trade; and an event to celebrate the 21 Colombian private companies that signed the United for Wildlife declarations to continue promoting biodiversity protection and the role of the private sector.

These strategic events allowed us to position the UK as a key partner for Colombian and regional stakeholders ahead of CBD COP16 taking place in Colombia in October.

Italy

In Italy, the Climate Diplomacy Fund helped us to deliver some of the outcomes envisaged in the new UK-Italy Memorandum of Understanding, which included a chapter on energy, climate and environment cooperation. CDF also supported UK multilateral climate negotiations, leveraging Italy’s G7 presidency. We showcased UK sustainable fashion and His Majesty the King’s leadership on sustainability through an SMI display at our King’s Birthday Party celebration last year. 

We supported the visit by FCDO senior officials to Rome in October 2023 for high-level meetings on climate and energy, identifying concrete opportunities for bilateral exchange. And we delivered a maritime decarbonisation roundtable, bringing together UK officials with their counterparts from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, plus other Italian stakeholders from the private sector, to foster collaboration and partnerships between government officials and industry representatives.

The aim is to explore the shift from fossil fuels to sustainable alternatives that align with a 2050 net zero goal, ultimately decarbonising ports and implementing green shipping corridors - building on the legacy of COP26 Clydebank Declaration.

Republic of Korea

In the Republic of Korea (RoK), the Climate Diplomacy Fund supported two activities aimed at sharing UK expertise in expanding renewable energy.  We held a seminar between KEPCO, the National Grid, OFGEM and the Energy Transitions Commission, aimed at enhancing technical understanding of UK efforts to transition from coal to clean energy.

We have also deepened our engagement in a key region of RoK – Jeollanamdo – whose waters are a potential future site for significant offshore wind development, including by UK developers Corio. This activity underpinned outcomes from the RoK State Visit, such as the Clean Energy Partnership, which emphasised the UK as a key energy transition partner for RoK.

Bolivia

In Bolivia, the Climate Diplomacy Fund delivered high-level training on green hydrogen for decision-makers across several Bolivian ministries, drawing from UK expertise and contributing to the critical conversation around energy transition in a meaningful way.

The CDF also allowed us to organise an event with political leaders and female artisans from the autonomous indigenous territory of Charagua, the first indigenous territory to be accepted into the LEAF Coalition. This has allowed us to build a stronger relationship with authorities and communities in Charagua, key actors in Bolivia’s fight against deforestation.

Finally in San José, the CDF facilitated a dialogue between the technical teams from Bolivia, Costa Rica and Ecuador working on LEAF to share valuable experiences, lessons learned and provide the UK with important feedback on the process to inform our support to LEAF countries moving forward.