The Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens (BKMC) was delighted to travel to New York during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly and New York Climate Week 2025. Alongside our esteemed Co-chair Ban Ki-moon, CEO Monika Froehler championed agricultural adaptation for a resilient future and reconnected with the Ban Ki-moon Foundation in New York and various partners in the field of climate and youth.
Kicking off the engagements on 23 September 2025, BKMC CEO Monika Froehler attended the “Adaptation is Life: Scaling up Financing for Adaptation on the Road to COP30” event, organized by the UN Foundation. High-level speakers, including Hon. Gillian Martin, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, Scotland, highlighted the critical role of adaptation in promoting development, growth, stability, and equity. During the event, CEO Monika Froehler emphasized the need for governments to do more in supporting locally-led adaptation projects, underscoring the importance of community-driven climate solutions to build the resilience of smallholder farmers.
The Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions on 24 September 2025 were the highlight of the New York mission travel. 200+ global leaders from government, civil society, philanthropy, media, and business came together to turn bold commitments into real-world action – sparking innovation, collaboration, and urgent climate solutions with the goal to end poverty.
At the summit, CEO Monika Froehler moderated a high-level panel on the importance of the transformation of food systems with Pemmy Majodina (MP), Minister of Water and Sanitation, South Africa, Lydia Amenyaglo, Creative Director of the Ghana Food Movement and Juan-Lucas Restrepo, Executive Director of Bioversity. Their discussion explored innovative strategies to create sustainable, resilient, and equitable food systems worldwide. At the sidelines of the event, CEO Monika Froehler met Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Baroness Chapman, UK Minister of State for International Development, and Chris Elmore, UK Parliamentary Undersecretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
In the afternoon, Co-chair Ban Ki-moon took the stage to give a keynote, urging global leaders to close the adaptation finance gap and significantly boost investments in research and development through institutions such as CGIAR to support smallholder farmers to adapt on the ground. He highlighted that such efforts cannot succeed without local ownership, stating: “Locally led solutions – especially those driven by women and youth – must be at the heart of national adaptation plans.“
On the same day, Co-chair Ban Ki-moon was welcomed by Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where he thanked her for her inspiring leadership in keeping the promise of the 17 #GlobalGoals and the #ParisClimateAgreemet for a better future for all.
All of these engagements closely reflected the BKMC mission, highlighting the urgent importance of championing adaptation finance and climate resilience for the most vulnerable.
