​​​The upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) will feature a series of firsts to rally the technology industry to take on the climate emergency.

Introduced by the COP Presidency, the first-ever Digitalisation Day at COP (16 November 2024) will spotlight the role of digital technologies in advancing climate resilience through a High-Level Roundtable and related events.

Industry leaders, governments, and civil society organizations will also be invited to sign the “COP29 Declaration on Green Digital Action“, affirming the vital role of digital technologies in climate action and outlining a collaborative framework for advancing sustainability. The Declaration will be formally adopted during Digitalisation Day.

Throughout COP29, Green Digital Action will review progress on existing tech-industry sustainability pledges and showcase innovative, scalable digital solutions to evolving climate challenges.

The Green Digital Action initiative, led by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – the UN Agency for Digital Technologies – alongside governments, businesses and civil society organizations, aims to accelerate climate-positive digitalisation and emission reductions in the tech sector.

Other sessions highlighting the link between digital technologies and climate action include:​

• Intergenerational dialogue: Youth Vision for a Green Digital Future (12 November)
• High-Level Opening: Strengthening Collaborative Power for a Sustainable Digital Tech Industry (14 November)
• Sustainability by Design in World Standards Cooperation (15 November)
• AI and the UN Early Warnings for All Initiative (16 November)
• Advancing Green Digital Action Towards a Net-Zero ICT Sector (16 November)
• Climate Action: Transition plans to reduce the ICT Sector’s own GHG Emissions (16 November)
• Success and Gaps in Green AI (16 November)

The full list of sessions is available here and will be updated.

All events are open to reporters accredited to COP29.

Green Digital Action was established at COP28 in Dubai in 2023. Since then, the initiative has been working to unite the global digital community in developing practical solutions, boosting industry-wide climate support, and strengthening global frameworks for monitoring and reporting.

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Editor’s notes:

• Learn more about Green Digital Action here.
• Read more about the COP29 Declarations here.
• Explore ITU’s COP29 events here.
• Media kit – Green Digital Action @COP29: Trello
• Interviews are available upon request. Please contact [email protected]

About ITU:

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), driving innovation in ICTs together with 194 Member States and a membership of over 1,000 companies, universities, and international and regional organizations. Established in 1865, it is the intergovernmental body responsible for coordinating the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoting international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, improving communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishing the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. From broadband networks to cutting-edge wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, oceanographic and satellite-based earth monitoring as well as converging fixed-mobile phone, Internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is committed to connecting the world. Learn more: www.itu.int.