Below are remarks delivered by UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell during an event on AI and digital technologies for NDCs, at the UN June Climate Meetings in Bonn, Germany, on Wednesday 17 June 2026.
It's a pleasure to join you today.
And I thank you all for your work.
This is collaboration in action. This is how we drive the global climate effort forward.
We are now in a new era of climate action: the era of implementation.
Our laser-focus is turning commitments into projects on the ground.
Digital technologies are increasingly central to that effort.
Their capacity to strengthen and accelerate delivery is a potential game-changer:
From integrating renewables, to radically boosting grid efficiency, and revolutionising early warning systems.
That's why UN Climate Change recently launched the AI for Climate Action Award 2026:
To recognise cutting-edge adaptation and mitigation solutions for least developed countries and small island developing states.
I encourage all innovators with open-source AI solutions to apply by 3 July.
Today, your focus has been digital public infrastructure. Its ability to support NDC implementation. And using data to shape effective decision-making.
This is vital.
Robust data underpins good decision-making, effective policy design and delivery.
Yet too often it is fragmented.
Digital public infrastructure for climate action is a critical part of the solution:
It brings together data from across sectors and institutions.
Connects national and international systems.
And creates high-quality data to inform high-stakes decisions and high-complexity policy-making.
Helping countries to deliver on their NDCs, ensure consistent policies, and, ultimately, attract finance.
Achieving this requires collaboration.
And UN Climate Change is committed to supporting these efforts.
The country-led NDC Data Explorer you've heard about today is a prime example.
I thank James and all my secretariat colleagues who've worked so hard on this initiative.
I commend the Government of Uganda for its leadership.
And the ITU for its key role driving this initiative. As well as its pioneering work on green technology standards.
We welcome other countries joining the pilot project. To help test these tools against the realities of policy-making - reaping the benefits in the process.
Together, we must all keep pushing the possibilities of these new technologies forward:
Developing and deploying them carefully, responsibly, and in ways that advance both climate action and sustainable development.
We know new technologies create new dangers.
Digital infrastructure is expanding faster than ever.
Data centres are a particular concern.
They consume vast amounts of energy and water.
And the sharp rise in AI applications is massively driving this resource demand. This powerful technology can be a double-edged sword.
Data centres cannot mean wider development gaps, higher emissions, and higher prices for households and businesses.
They must be sustainable: for communities, ecosystems, economies, and the planet.
So let me be clear about what this moment demands:
We must prioritize energy efficiency, account for digital infrastructure in energy planning, and scale clean power in parallel, particularly in developing countries.
We must also manage the social impact of technologies:
For example, when it comes to AI and jobs - ensuring it does not replace human capacity but releases it for higher-value activities.
Colleagues,
The potential of new technologies for climate action is vast. Let's manage the risks.
And together, ensure the benefits reach everyone, everywhere.
Thank you.
