UN Summit Next Week: Only 36 Countries Submit New Climate Pledges As September Deadline Looms

Last Updated:September 20, 2025, 07:00 IST

All signatories to the 2015 Paris Agreement are required to submit new and updated national climate action plans, called nationally determined contributions, for the next decade

Co-convened by the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres (in picture) and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the climate summit in New York on September 24 is pivotal ahead of COP30 in Brazil’s Belém. (Image: UN)

Only 36 countries have submitted their updated national targets with only weeks remaining before the September deadline for new climate pledges.

New York is all set to host the UN Climate Summit next week on September 24 with at least 100 countries, including 40 heads of state, in attendance.

The special climate action summit is part of the high-level week of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. Co-convened by the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the event is pivotal ahead of the UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Brazil’s Belém.

All countries that are signatories to the 2015 Paris Agreement are required to submit their new and updated national climate action plans, called nationally determined contributions (NDCs), for the next decade. The original February deadline was extended to the end of September.

According to the UN secretary general’s office, as on Thursday (September 18), only 36 NDCs have been officially submitted with Australia being the most recent addition to the list.

“The UN has asked countries to submit their plans by the end of September – so they can be included in the NDC Synthesis Report in October. A large number of NDCs are expected at the climate summit next week. We still do not have NDCs from some of the most important countries that together represent 80% of the global emission reduction potential. All eyes are now on China, the EU and other G20 economies, many of which are expected to announce their plans next week,” Melanie Robinson, who is the global climate director of the World Resources Institute (WRI), said at a briefing.

India, which submitted its first NDCs in 2015, is also among those yet to announce its updated plans. It has already achieved its initial NDC target of obtaining 50 percent of its installed electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources – five years ahead of the initial timeline of 2050 – and aims to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels. New Delhi’s attendance at next week’s event, however, is not yet confirmed.

Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the event next week, Selwin Hart, who is the special adviser to the secretary general on climate action and just transition, said more countries are expected to announce their plans at the summit.

“Compared to the first set of NDCs announced almost a decade ago, countries are now taking these plans far more seriously. They have detailed internal processes, and are at different stages of finalisation. The fact that 100 countries have agreed to attend the summit next week – during the busiest time of the year – shows that multilateralism is still alive,” Hart said.

With the deadline fast approaching, experts pointed out that a critical test of the new NDCs is whether they translate global pledges into action – this includes tripling renewable energy capacity, halting deforestation, moving away from fossil fuels, and doubling energy efficiency, as agreed at COP28 in Dubai.

It is also important to see if these commitments align with the ‘net-zero’ goal of 2050 and include sector-specific measures, especially in areas crucial for driving economic transition – energy, transport, food, and agriculture.

“The next few months are critical for climate action. We are in an immensely challenging global environment – the trade wars are disrupting supply chains, and energy demand in the developing world is increasing. The 1.5 degrees Celsius goal is in jeopardy. We are heading towards a 3 degrees Celsius warming… Currently, the real issue is not just the ambition gap, but the implementation gap. That’s where our focus should be,” said Ani Dasgupta of the WRI at the press briefing.

The UN secretary general has invited heads of state and government to this summit to present their new NDCs and detail the actions they will take over the next decade to keep the goals of the Paris Agreement within reach. Mexico, Australia, South Africa, China (Vice Premier Li), Turkey, and Pakistan are among the countries with expected attendance.

“This week in New York, many leaders from around the world will gather to reaffirm their commitment to climate action. Bringing new pledges and plans to grow their economies by harnessing the power of clean energy and infrastructure. In the decade since the Paris Agreement, we’ve seen incredible changes. The secretary general’s summit will be a moment to take stock of where we are in our global fight against climate change, and how much further we have to go, at COP30 in Belém, and in the coming decade,” said Simon Stiell, executive secretary, UN Climate Change.

About the Author

Srishti Choudhary

Srishti Choudhary, Senior Assistant Editor at CNN-News18 specializes in science, environment, and climate change reporting. With over a decade of extensive field experience, she has brought incisive ground repo…Read More

Srishti Choudhary, Senior Assistant Editor at CNN-News18 specializes in science, environment, and climate change reporting. With over a decade of extensive field experience, she has brought incisive ground repo… Read More

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