Resolving Climate Change Beyond the UNFCCC & Santa Marta
hosted by Professor
Nina Hall
Frans Timmermans & Valeria Zanini
Former Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and EU Climate Chief
Policy Advisor Climate Diplomacy
The session will discuss the current state of international climate cooperation and the opportunities for advancing climate action beyond the formal UNFCCC process, with a particular focus on how complementary initiatives can help translate multilateral commitments into implementation. Drawing on the Santa Marta process and the transition away from fossil fuels, the session will explore how coalitions of countries and other actors can advance cooperation and delivery while reinforcing, rather than replacing, the UNFCCC framework, and how the COP space itself can evolve to effectively fulfil its role in this changing context.
FRANS TIMMERMANS
Frans Timmermans is one of Europe's most influential contemporary statesmen, whose career has been defined by a deep commitment to the European project, democratic values, and international cooperation.
Over more than three decades in public service, he has held some of the most consequential roles in European and global policymaking. As Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal (2019–2023), he led the European Union's historic effort to become the world's first climate-neutral continent, shaping an ambitious legislative agenda that redefined Europe's economic and environmental future. Prior to this, as First Vice-President of the European Commission (2014–2019), he was entrusted with safeguarding the rule of law and fundamental rights at a time of profound challenge and transformation for the Union.
Earlier in his career, Timmermans served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, as well as State Secretary for European Affairs, bringing to these roles a diplomat's sensibility and a firm belief in the power of dialogue, multilateralism, and shared responsibility. His professional path began in diplomacy, with postings in Moscow and work across European institutions, experiences that helped shape his enduring commitment to international cooperation.
A gifted communicator and accomplished linguist, he is known for his ability to connect across cultures and audiences, articulating a vision of Europe that is both principled and pragmatic.
Frans Timmermans' career reflects a lifelong dedication to public service at the highest level—guided by the conviction that the most pressing challenges of our time can only be addressed through collective action, courage, and leadership.
VALERIA ZANINI
Valeria Zanini is a Policy Advisor on Climate Diplomacy at ECCO, the Italian climate and energy think tank. She works on international climate diplomacy, closely following the UNFCCC process and COP negotiations, with a focus on international climate cooperation, the global energy transition, and the evolving role of multilateral and plurilateral cooperation in advancing climate action. Her work focuses in particular on the transition away from fossil fuels and international climate finance. She is also a lecturer on climate diplomacy at the University of Milan. She holds a Master's degree in Global Politics and Society and a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy.
