Between 22–26 June 2026, the Ban Ki-moon Foundation (BKMF) was on the ground at the 2026 London Climate Action Week – one of the biggest climate weeks of the year. With more than 75,000 people attending and more than 1,000 events, the climate community came together to exchange ideas, build partnerships, and accelerate action.
The BKMF team, including Interim COO Kathrin Ebner, Project & Partnership Officer Roxanne Chao, Communications & Project Officer Maja Markus, and Project Associate Timothy Sung, attended approximately thirty events throughout London, spanning invigorating panels around scaling finance for food security to fascinating roundtable discussions around climate subsidies.
The common thread throughout the week was the power of partnerships and the necessity of cross-sector collaboration to create meaningful action. Indeed, the BKMF forged new partnerships with dynamic organizations like Goals House and cemented old ones with organizations like CGIAR and Project Dandelion.
The week began with a Goals House Opening Reception at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where London Mayor Sadiq Khan gave an action-oriented speech that set the tone for the week. Another highlight was hearing from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who reinforced that climate resilience is no longer just an environmental issue – it is increasingly an economic and security imperative.
The rest of the week included events from partners such as Alliance Bioversity CIAT, IIED, ODI, and more. Together with BKMF Board Member and Chief Sustainability Officer and Global Head of ESG and Corporate Responsibility at RELX Márcia Balisciano, Interim COO Kathrin Ebner discussed how best to mobilise capital towards the green energy transition at an intimate dinner hosted by RELX and Global Citizen.
The week also included engaging practical discussions, such as at Clim-Eat‘s House of Impact, which brought together a curated group of leaders from government, the private sector, philanthropic, and civil society organizations. There, the team explored the dynamics and manifestations of partnerships to best mobilise finance to build resilient food systems.
Building on that, the team attended several events organized by Project Dandelion and Alliance Bioversity CIAT that focused on expanding the voices included in food and agriculture policy discussions, noting women’s important role in this space.
Climate finance needs to reach those who need it most, and this was emphasized by 2024 Youth AgriChampion Ifeoluwa Olatayo. At the Value Network Ventures and Commune event, she spoke about the imperative for better financial inclusion for smallholder farmers and the need to include their lived experiences and voices in decision-making processes.
Amid rising climate, economic shocks, and geopolitical tensions, the links between conflict and hunger are increasingly evident. In fact, conflict undermines production, markets, and supply chains, which in turn raises hunger and inequality, further fuelling instability. To address this, the BKMF, in collaboration with Goals House, hosted an intimate roundtable, “Peace Begins at the Table: Food Security & Global Stability”, building on the op-ed by Co-chair Ban Ki-moon and CGIAR Executive Managing Director Ismahane Elouafi.
The discussion brought together leaders from multilateral organizations and the private sector, with opening remarks by BKMF Interim COO Kathrin Ebner and powerful insights from Youth AgriChampion Ifeoluwa Olatayo on the realities faced by smallholder farmers in Nigeria. The exchange highlighted how conflict disrupts food systems and that resilient food systems are essential for lasting peace and global stability.
Whether discussions at Climate Action Week were about food systems, agriculture or clean energy, the conclusion is clear: lasting progress will depend on stronger partnerships, smarter investment, and ensuring finance reaches local people who are already driving change.
The Ban Ki-moon Foundation leaves London inspired by the conversations and ready to advance solutions for our planet and people, with plenty of momentum to build on in the lead-up to COP31.
Browse through our pictures from LCAW:
Check out the pictures from the Goals House Roundtable on Food Security:
