Bonn, September 3, 2025 – Governments must submit their new national plans to reduce planet-warming emissions and strengthen climate resilience as soon as possible, the UN climate chief urged. This came less than a month before deadline, with several major economies still yet to announce their targets.

Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has written to all countries, saying that “strong” climate plans are the “best defence” against the global climate crisis. Countries must submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by the end of September. This will allow the UN climate change body to assess cumulative efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and 2035 and publish a report ahead of the COP30 conference in November.

This “synthesis report will provide an important update on progress,” Stiell wrote, and is likely to inform discussions in Belém about what countries should do next to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago is preparing for a clash of opinions on how to respond to the assessment.

Key time for NDCs So far, fewer than 30 countries have submitted their NDCs, with many major polluters – including China, India and the European Union – are still missingStiell encouraged leaders to take advantage of the invitation to announce their climate goals at a high-level event hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on September 24 in New York.

But the situation is tense. The European Union risks failing to present concrete plans at the UN event as member states clash over climate targets. Environment ministers were due to vote on the bloc’s 2040 emissions target – from which the NDC is derived – at a meeting on 18 September. But France wants the discussions to escalate to leadership level, which would likely delay the process. China has previously indicated it will publish its new climate targets in the autumn, while Indonesia plans to submit its NDC ahead of a high-level summit this month.

"Engines of economic growth" “These national climate plans are much more than just words on paper,” Stiell wrote. “They are among the most powerful engines of economic growth and rising living standards this century". Countries that submit "strong new NDCs are on track to secure the largest share of the clean energy boom and the millions of jobs and stronger economic growth it creates," Stiell added in his letter. This year, Stiell has met with leaders from some of the world's largest countries and, according to a UN official, has heard how some business leaders are pressuring governments to achieve maximum ambition in order to secure opportunities and reduce climate risks.

The UNFCCC expects an increase in the number of NDCs submitted in the coming weeks. JRi