· 5 min read
⭐ See also illuminem events guide 2025 for the most relevant sustainability gatherings worldwide
After a pivotal week at New York Climate Week, the spotlight now shifts to the next wave of global convenings. illuminem will be there, as speakers, moderators, knowledge & media partners, and delegates, keeping the momentum alive through evidence-based dialogue.
Here are the Top 5 events to watch after NYCW 👇 (To partner, please contact us here.)
1. Building Bridges | 30 September – 2 October | Geneva, Switzerland 🇨🇭
Main focus: Sustainable Finance 💰
Expected headline speakers: John Kerry (Galvanize), Francine Lacqua (Bloomberg), Rhian-Mari Thomas (Green Finance Institute), Jessica Smith (Nature Lead - UNEP FI)
Conversations to expect: Building Bridges 2025 will explore how to mobilize the trillions required for the net-zero transition, integrate biodiversity and natural capital into mainstream portfolios, and reshape fiduciary duty for the climate era. Discussions will range from blended finance structures and debt-for-nature swaps to how regulators can accelerate the alignment of private capital with sustainability goals. Expect rigorous exchanges between finance ministries, asset managers, and multilateral banks on turning commitments into capital flows.
⭐ What makes it unique: Geneva’s position as a global hub for finance and multilateral diplomacy makes Building Bridges the only forum where investors, governments, and academia converge to transform sustainability frameworks into financial transactions. Unlike multilateral negotiations, its focus is practical: building bridges between high-level commitments and the financial instruments that deliver them.
2. NAT5 Live+ | 6–7 October | Mexico City, Mexico 🇲🇽
Main focus: Biodiversity 🌳 & Sustainable Finance 💰
Expected headline speakers: Banco de México, UNEP FI, BNP Paribas, Álvaro Vallejo Rendón (International Specialist in Biodiversity Finance), Anne-France Kennedy (Co-founder of KlimateNet), Sven Kallen (Founder of Life Terra Foundation)
Conversations to expect: In the context of voluntary nature markets, Latin America is emerging as a leader in regenerative solutions that channel investment into measurable, and transparent projects benefiting ecosystems and communities. Mexico, ranked fourth among the world’s most megadiverse countries, faces immense ecological pressures, from high levels of threatened species to environmental depletion costing 4.1% of GDP. NAT5 Live+ will showcase how positive nature credits and regenerative finance can align corporate value chains with biodiversity restoration, while also mobilising governments, investors, and project developers toward a fair, ecological, and profitable economic model.
⭐ What makes it unique: Hosted at IMJUS and CASO Venues in Mexico City, NAT5 Live+ is the first biodiversity finance festival in Latin America. With more than 1 million positive nature credits already in circulation, it goes far beyond networking, serving as a strategic platform where corporations, funds, and communities endorse a standard that turns commitments into certified, science-based evidence of impact.
3. Fourth Dolomite Conference on Climate Change and Sustainability | 16-18 October | Italy 🇮🇹
Main focus: Environmental Sustainability 🌍, Energy ⚡ & Nature 🌳
Expected headline speakers: Izabella Teixeira (former Minister of Environment of Brazil), Oliver Morton (The Economist), senior EU Commissioners, alongside top academics, CEOs, and CSOs
Conversations to expect: Hosted on the Island of San Servolo, the conference will tackle the geopolitics of climate governance and the role of sustainability as a strategic lever. Sessions will dive into sustainability measurement, artificial intelligence, global trade security, the future of insurance, and the European automotive sector, while experimental Climate Negotiation Workshops feed directly into preparations for COP30 in Belém. Six international student-led Problem-Setting/Solving Groups will work on urban and global challenges, presenting their results in a “Venice Manifesto” to be shared with European and international institutions.
⭐ What makes it unique: Organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Bocconi University, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, LUISS, and Politecnico di Milano, this is one of Europe’s most influential academic-policy-business forums on climate governance. With illuminem as media partner, the event convenes over 100 leading experts across institutions, business, and civil society, positioning Venice as a laboratory for pragmatic, inclusive, and innovative solutions on the road to COP30.
4. COP30 | November 2025 | Belém, Brazil 🇧🇷
Main focus: Climate Change 🌍, Nature 🌳 & Sustainable Finance 💰
Expected headline speakers: President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, André Corrêa do Lago (COP30 President-designate)
Conversations to expect: COP30 will bring the world’s focus to the Amazon, with negotiations on loss-and-damage funding, carbon market reform, and updated national pledges (NDCs). Beyond emissions, biodiversity and indigenous rights will take center stage, reflecting Brazil’s unique position as steward of one of Earth’s most vital ecosystems. Expect high-stakes debates between developed and emerging economies over the pace of finance delivery, the credibility of offsets, and the integration of nature-based solutions into formal climate frameworks.
⭐ What makes it unique: As the first COP held in the Amazon, COP30 grounds global climate diplomacy in a region that is both a climate stabilizer and a deforestation hotspot. It will be a defining test of whether biodiversity and justice can be fully integrated into the machinery of climate governance.
5. World Economic Forum (Davos) | January 2026 | Davos, Switzerland 🇨🇭
Main focus: Sustainable Finance 💰, Energy ⚡ & Climate Change 🌍
Expected headline speakers: Ursula von der Leyen (European Commission), António Guterres (UN), Kristalina Georgieva (IMF), Damilola Ogunbiyi (CEO of Sustainable Energy for All)
Conversations to expect: Systemic climate risks, carbon pricing and border adjustments, and AI’s role in accelerating sustainability. CEOs will be scrutinised on net-zero credibility, supply chain resilience, and financing for the transition
⭐ What makes it unique: Davos uniquely unites political leaders, CEOs, and scholars under global media scrutiny. With illuminem as exclusive Financial Times partner, sustainability will move center stage in the world’s top economic agenda. We will once again publish our renowned Davos Guide to help you navigate the conversations and connections that matter most. Reach out to us directly for tickets and speaker engagements.
From Geneva to Mexico City, Venice to Belém, and finally Davos, these convenings will carry forward the momentum of New York Climate Week. Each is a decisive arena where finance, policy, and science converge — let’s ensure the conversations remain connected, rigorous, and actionable!
For more information or to partner, please contact us here.
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