At the Global NDC Conference 2025, conversations did not just happen on stage. In fact, they filled every corner of the venue. Over coffee, during workshops, and in the corridors in between sessions, participants shared how they are navigating the complex journey from climate ambition to implementation. These were not abstract discussions; they were exchanges between people working every day to make change happen.
For example, we talked to Ihssane El Marouani, who is the NDC Partnership In-Country Facilitator embedded within the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development of Morocco. Following her participation at the conference in 2023, El Marouani returned to Berlin in 2025 with the objective of expanding her professional network, acquiring knowledge about novel financing opportunities for climate action, and gaining insights from the practical experiences of other countries. She also found great satisfaction in sharing her own knowledge. Presenting the country’s good practices and listening to others present their cases, was a productive way of reciprocal learning for her.
“We have a great success story in Morocco in terms of aligning our NDC with the state budget and the national plan with local ones. We need more synergy, more coordination between public and private sectors, as wells as national and local areas. We need to grow together and move together.”— Ihssane El Marouani, Morocco In-Country Facilitator, NDC Partnership
Getting the narrative right
Climate action starts with a story and getting that story right matters. During our conversations, it became clear that knowledge-sharing is much more about how we communicate as what we communicate. Participants emphasised the power of positive narratives that connect climate goals to everyday life, as way to build ownership and momentum for implementation.
We sat down with Sung-Ah Kyun from the Climate Department of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), who has returned for the second time to the conference as well. Her objective was to gain insights into the efficacy of climate policies, especially concerning private sector engagement, and to get a general update on the “hot topics” people are talking about. Moreover, with a changing global political landscape, Kyun expressed her concern regarding the funding landscape, although she believes that conferences, such as this one, are good barometers to measure where people stand in their work on NDCs, playing a crucial role in encouraging the necessary political commitment and inspiring implementation with experiences from the ground.
“Climate policy is often portrayed as disconnected from the rest of economy and society, so I think it's really important that we get the narrative right and understand the climate agenda as a part of development. We're at a point, where a lot has been done, and countries can really think about accelerating. They should have faith in what they have invested in to keep the focus and keep pushing and moving forward.”— Sung-Ah Kyun, Associate Director, Head of Policy, Research and Partnerships, Climate Strategy and Delivery, EBRD
Focusing on resilience
When we asked what lessons stood out most from the conference, “resilience” was a word that came up repeatedly. We heard from participants working on mitigation and adaptation projects, just transition, climate planning, and infrastructure projects. For instance, Pacifica Achieng Ogola, of the Directorate of Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in Kenya, presented the case of Kenya transitioning away from fossil fuels with up to 90 percent of electricity coming from renewable sources by now. She pointed to the power of the mindset to ignite change.
“I want other countries to see it’s possible! In Kenya we were not just pushed by the fact that we wanted to reduce emissions, but mostly by the fact that we wanted to build resilience in the energy sector. Investing in renewable energy is investing in energy security. If your economic development is sustainable, you do not even need to talk about climate change.”— Pacifica Achieng Ogola, Director of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Kenya
Private sector pragmatism
We also talked to private sector representatives who brought a different kind of energy from a more pragmatic, solution-oriented and focused on results. Their message was clear: there is a need for stronger collaboration and clarity.
For Greg Briner of the We Mean Business Coalition, which works with major global companies on climate action, the Global NDC Conference was an important opportunity to exchange with government stakeholders. On the other hand, Briner aimed at amplifying business voices calling for ambitious and investable NDCs.
“One of the aspects that business is calling for when it comes to the NDC cycle is stronger collaboration between public sector, private sector and civil society, so it's really helpful to come here and have people from government explain how they are developing their NDCs. Companies need policy stability and clear targets. Then they can bring solutions and a pragmatic approach to get it done.” — Greg Briner, Senior Manager, Policy, We Mean Business Coalition
Keeping up the optimism
After three days of intense discussions, optimism stood out as necessary. We heard from participants who acknowledged the setbacks and challenges but also stressed the importance of staying motivated.
We talked to Frauke Röser of the thinktank NewClimate Institute, who has attended every single edition of the Global NDC Conference since 2017 to connect with people and build a strong basis for cooperation. For her, the biggest threat is to fall into a nihilistic mindset.
“This is why spaces like this are so important: to get the feeling that there are still quite a few people who actually care about our common future and find the energy and strength to move on.” — Frauke Röser, Founding Partner and Expert at NewClimate Institute
As participants left Berlin, they shared the message that knowledge only has power when it is shared. In a context in which global climate policy faces mounting pressure, the Global NDC Conference 2025 reminded us that learning together is an important cornerstone to keep climate action moving forward.
