Water and Climate Leaders

Who we are

The Water and Climate Leaders are a panel of eminent representatives of UN Members, civil society, and the private sector. Invited by WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas and UN-Water Chair Gilbert Houngbo, the Water and Climate Leaders aim to set and pursue an integrated global Water and Climate Agenda in support of sustainable development and national mitigation and adaptation actions. Their focus is on catalyzing action through leadership and example.

The Panel provides strategic guidance on integrating the water and climate agendas, as well as maximizing synergies in designing and implementing actions to achieve SDGs 6 and 13, alongside ensuring effective climate action for adaptation and resilience.

The Water and Climate Leaders mandate ended at COP 28.

Water and Climate Leaders Panel

Matthias Berninger, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Sustainability, Bayer

Matthias Berninger

Matthias Berninger (born 1971) is a former German politician and member of The Greens from 1993 until 2007.
From 2001 to 2005, Berninger served as Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection under minister Renate Künast in the second cabinet of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. After leaving the government, he was his parliamentary group’s spokesperson on economic policy from 2005 until 2007.
Since 2019, Berninger has been serving as head of public and government affairs at Bayer.