Ban Ki-moon Centre Program Officer Kathrin Ebner attend the Austrian World Summit.

Under the equally encouraging and thought-provoking motto “We got the power” the 7th Austrian World Summit on 16 May 2023 brought together international thought leaders and experts in various fields to deep-dive into topics of climate change and international security, circular economy, sustainable cities, and mobility, and innovative energy solutions.

The annual conference co-organized by the Arnold Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative and Monika Langthaler was hosted in the Hofburg, Vienna featuring various outstanding speakers, amongst others: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Founder of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative; Alexander Van der Bellen, Austrian Federal President; Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Finland; Wladimir Klitschko, Founder of #WeAreAllUkrainians and Leonore Gewessler, Austrian Minister for Climate Action.

“It is a climate-narrative that is reassuringly hopeful and based on scientific facts that will guide us to build bridges into a sustainable and prosperous future” President Van der Bellen emphasized in his opening remarks.

On how to reach our climate targets, Leonore Gewessler, Austrian Federal Minister and Sherry Rehman, Federal Minister of Climate Change, Pakistan, equally stressed the need for climate adaptation also at the COP28 as well as the crucial importance to drastically increase the overall climate funding.

With the key goal to offer a platform for actual solutions and productive ideas to connect people, businesses, and climate leaders, the summit ended in an interactive and collaborative manner with several networking sessions.