We are deeply humbled to be awarded the Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) by the Queen in her Birthday Honours List for services to tackling climate change.

It is a great honour to receive the CMG today in recognition of our role in supporting the UK Presidency of the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference. Our mission – starting with the Chilean Presidency of COP25 in Madrid to COP26 in Glasgow – was to elevate the leadership of non-state actors to support enhanced ambition from governments to accelerate action to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.

This required unprecedented convergence between investors, businesses, cities, subnational regions and civil society to drive ‘real economy’ breakthroughs, which now must be delivered.

We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to all those who have been our fellow travellers on this journey, including members of the Marrakech Partnership, the Race to Resilience, the Race to Zero, GFANZ, and the countless other changemakers and disruptors who are pushing the frontiers of what is possible to keep 1.5°C alive. As laid out in our Five-Year Plan, which was endorsed by countries at COP26, it’s been a true exercise in ‘radical collaboration’ to further regionalize our work and to foster action on resilience and finance, especially for emerging markets and developing economies.

We have been privileged to work alongside so many inspirational and dedicated people and, as we head towards COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, we look forward to continuing to work with them as we race towards a better world.

Nigel and Gonzalo