During the opening of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, Heads of State and Government and stakeholders from around the world took part in several high-level discussions on critical issues of shared concern. 

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin covered the following events during UN Summits Week in September 2019: 

UN Climate Action Summit;

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit;

High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development; and

High-Level Midterm Review of the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway;

Selected side events. 

As noted in the ENB summary report from UN Summits Week 2019, "emotions flew high during UN Summits Week—both on the streets of New York, as youth protests rallied hundreds of thousands against climate change, as well as within the hallowed halls of the United Nations, which are more accustomed to measured diplomatic debate. The tone was set by 16-year-old youth activist Greta Thunberg at the Climate Action Summit on the first day, as she admonished a General Assembly of the world’s most powerful." Read the full summary here.

Coverage of these events was made possible by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).