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Rio launches first edition of Rio Nature and Climate Week and announces concerts in Ipanema.
Published on 08/05/2026 - 14:50 | Updated on 08/05/2026 - 16:04
International week dedicated to the climate agenda will take place between June 1st and 6th. Image: Press release The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Cavaliere, signed, this Friday (May 8th), at the Museum of Tomorrow, the partnership agreement for the city to host Rio Nature & Climate Week (RNCW) and Global Citizen Live: Rio de Janeiro for the next five years. The first edition of the international week focused on the climate, nature and development agenda will take place between June 1st and 6th. And Global Citizen Live will feature Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean as the main attractions, as well as singer Ludmilla, on June 6th, at Ipanema Beach.
Inspired by initiatives in cities like London and New York, Rio Nature & Climate Week was created with the aim of establishing Rio de Janeiro as an international platform for mobilization and solutions for climate and nature from the perspective of the Global South. The program will include a main conference at Pier Mauá in the Port Region, as well as thematic meetings, cultural activations, and events in different parts of the city led by communities, civil society organizations, the private sector, governments, and multilateral institutions.
— Rio is consolidating its position as the host city for Rio Nature & Climate Week and Global Citizen. It will be a global week with researchers, leaders, groups, companies, heads of state, and mayors from different parts of the world to discuss climate here in Rio de Janeiro, as has been the tradition of our city since Rio 92. And there is no way to discuss the economy without talking about energy transition, decarbonization, and the great challenges facing the world today. Rio's climate week is already established on the city's annual calendar for the next five years — stated Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere.
The announcement, at the Museum of Tomorrow, was made alongside Rodrigo Medeiros, creator of Rio Nature & Climate Week, Brazil Lead of Re:wild and president of the Nature and Climate Brazil Institute, and Mick Sheldrick, co-founder of Global Citizen, and the municipal secretary of Culture, Lucas Padilha.
— The Global Citizen event positions Rio de Janeiro as the stage for a global event, a platform for mobilization in civil society and the government market, for climate discussion. It's a celebration of engagement, a gathering that celebrates but also critiques the reality we live in. An event that has a logic of rewarding and recognizing those who make a difference in climate and environmental issues, and these people participate in this show that is Global Citizen Live — said Secretary Lucas Padilha.
One of the week's new developments will be the launch of the RNCW Grassroots call for proposals, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at supporting grassroots social organizations and community projects that promote actions and activities in their territories during the event's program.
The Rio Nature & Climate Week organization is led by the Nature and Climate Brazil Institute and has a network of partners and supporters that includes Re:wild, Global Citizen, Instituto Igarapé, Instituto Talanoa, Earthshot Prize, Instituto Amazônia+21 and the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, among other national and international institutions.
The program for the Main Conference, at Pier Mauá, will bring together national and international leaders from the areas of climate, biodiversity, sustainable development, economics, and finance. Among the confirmed guests are the former Prime Minister of Portugal, José Manuel Durão Barroso; the President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Ilan Goldfajn; the scientist Carlos Nobre; the Ecuadorian indigenous activist Helena Gualinga; and the President of COP30, André Corrêa do Lago, among other names linked to the agendas of climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development.
"Rio Nature & Climate Week was created with the ambition of strengthening the leading role of the Global South and opening up more space for voices that, although they are on the front lines of solutions and impacts, are still underrepresented in major international debates on climate and nature," said Rodrigo Medeiros, president of the Brazilian Nature and Climate Institute and Senior Brazil Lead at Re:wild.
Inspired by Rio de Janeiro's legacy in building international environmental governance—with milestones such as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio-92) and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20)—Rio Nature & Climate Week seeks to establish itself as a hub for convergence between leaders, ideas, and proposals, capable of bringing together agendas that often advance in a fragmented way, as well as incorporating the city's territorial diversity into its program.
About Rio Nature & Climate Week
Rio Nature & Climate Week is an international initiative created to accelerate integrated solutions for climate, nature, and development, from a perspective rooted in the Global South. Held in Rio de Janeiro, the initiative brings together leaders from different sectors for a week of dialogue, networking, mobilization, and action, combining an official program, partner events, and activations throughout the city.
Global Citizen
Global Citizen has announced its return to Brazil with two activations as part of the first edition of Rio Nature & Climate Week. Global Citizen NOW: Rio de Janeiro, a summit that drives action on the world's most pressing challenges, will take place in Botafogo on Thursday, June 4th. And Global Citizen Live: Rio de Janeiro, which concludes the week with concerts by Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Fugees' album The Score, and singer Ludmilla, will be held on Ipanema Beach on Saturday, June 6th.
“This event serves to demonstrate what can happen when we bring decision-makers together, elevate cultural voices, and mobilize the public to take action. We don’t believe that awareness alone changes the world. Action changes the world. At Global Citizen NOW: Rio de Janeiro, leaders will come together to establish commitments and partnerships focused on some of the most pressing issues for communities here in Latin America and throughout the Global South, including access to clean energy, education, jobs, food security, and global health,” said Hugh Evans, founder and CEO of Global Citizen, who participated in the announcement via video conference.
Rapper and founder of the group Fugees, Wyclef Jean, also spoke via video conference about his expectations for performing on Ipanema beach during the event.
"The Fugees are Brazil, and Brazil is the Fugees. We're eager to see everyone on the beach, ready or not, we're going to arrive with everything," concluded the musician, recalling one of the band's greatest hits.
The Municipal Secretary of Culture, Lucas Padilha, participated in the press conference to present the program of events and celebrated the partnership with the city hall to hold Rio Nature & Climate Week and Global Citizen Live.
– Rio de Janeiro will be the stage for a global event, a platform for mobilization in civil society, the market, and governments, for the climate discussion. It's a celebration of engagement, a meeting that celebrates but also criticizes the reality we live in. An event that has a logic of rewarding and recognizing those people who make a difference to the climate and environmental issue, and these people participate in this show that is Global Citizen Live. – said Lucas Padilha.
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