The first week of the United Nations’ (UN) climate conference, popularised as COP27, has come to a close. As the second week of COP27 fast approaches, it seems pertinent to recap the main events and milestones that punctuated week one.

With more than 40,000 attendees from nearly 190 countries, and over 120 heads of state, both the Blue Zone, as managed by the UN, and the Green Zone, managed by Egyptian authorities, saw diverse contributions and the inauguration of several climate action initiatives.

Many of these initiatives were launched during the first seven days of the conference, including: the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda, the African Carbon Markets Initiative, the Middle East Green Initiative, the International Drought Resilience Alliance, Green Jobs for Youth Pact, and the Bridgetown Initiative.

While the Blue Zone hosted general and private sessions, as well as panel discussions about decarbonizing energy systems, loss and damage, combating plastic pollution, among many others, the Green Zone held events, live entertainment, exhibitions, workshops, and cultural performances.

Additionally, bilateral meetings were held between Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and multiple heads of state including the United States’ President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the United Arab Emirates’ President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, among others.

With the events of week one drawing to a close, here are photos of some of the most prominent activities.

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