Five things that inspired us at 2025 NY Climate Week  

Our feet hurt but our hearts are full. We took part in some extraordinary events, deepened our impact across hundreds of constructive conversations – and logged many thousands of steps. As New York Climate Week and the UN General Assembly wrap up, here are some Alliance highlights.

• Seventeen African countries announced comprehensive, data-based commitments to expand energy access in line with Mission 300 – an ambitious Alliance-backed plan to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030. The new commitments bring the total number of countries with Misson 300-aligned National Energy Compacts to 29. The compacts are practical, country-led blueprints that will guide public spending, strengthen utilities, slash costs and draw in private investment – essential steps for ensuring Mission 300 progress is coordinated, accountable and transformative for 300 million people.
• As aid budgets shrink, multi-sectoral collaboration is more crucial than ever. The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet’s 2025 impact report, launched during a high level convening of our Global Leadership Council (pictured above), drives the point home. Through deep dive case studies including mini grids in Nigeria and battery storage across than 20 countries, the report offers key insights into how deep collaboration between public, private and philanthropic actors unlocked $7.8 billion in investments and set us on track to improve energy access for 91 million people, prevent 296 million tons of carbon emissions and create or improve 3.1 million jobs and livelihoods.
• 70 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are a step closer to electricity access thanks to Acumen’s Hardest-to-Reach Initiative which uses philanthropic capital to support clean energy projects in places traditional capital fails to reach. The initiative covers 17 countries, including 50 million first-time energy users in areas with some of the lowest electrification rates in the world. “This is a clear example of what’s possible when capital aligns with purpose to tackle energy poverty at scale,” said Jacqueline Novogratz, Acumen’s founder and CEO, announcing the initiative’s $250 million milestone. As a member of our Alliance, Acumen is driving solutions where they’re needed most and we’re proud to support this effort.
• We’re in this together. That was the message from world leaders including President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Kenya President William Ruto and the Bahama’s Prime Minister Philip Davis at a flagship Climate Week event, the High-Level Session on Renewable Energy Abundance. Von der Leyen took to the podium to ask businesses what they needed from governments to advance the clean energy transition – and called on businesses to put their innovation and capital to work in regions where the need is highest.

And, finally.. 

• As always, Climate Week mixed policy breakthroughs with a few star-studded sightings and high level connections. Our CEO, Woochong Um, is a master at being in the right place at the right time – and whipping out his cellphone for a selfie.