New Climate Voice Index will measure whose voices shape the global climate story

MILAN, Italy, 13 November 2026 — A new international research and communications initiative has been announced at the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) Global Summit to challenge current imbalances in global climate reporting and broaden whose knowledge, leadership and solutions influence the climate agenda.

Being developed under the umbrella of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and ICCO Climate Communications Task Force, in collaboration with the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), the initiative will establish a new Climate Voice Index: an evidence-based benchmark of voice, agency and framing in climate journalism across regions.

The initial programme will run over three years and will utilise comparative media analysis across both the global north and the global majority (often referred to as ‘the global south’). The key output will be a ‘tool kit’ of practical guidance for communication agencies, newsrooms, and journalists to support the production of more equitable climate narratives. Its aim is to help shift perceptions of global majority nations from passive recipients of climate action to climate co-authors and active providers of policy, knowledge and locally tested solutions.

Pilot study reveals narrative imbalance

This initiative builds on a previous proof-of-concept study, by ON PURPOSE and Impact Research & Measurement, which analysed news articles covering climate issues from 100 influential publications across global north and global majority markets. It found marked differences in who sets the agenda, whose expertise is treated as authoritative, and how climate impacts and solutions are framed. Some of the results revealed:

• The Global Majority reports more solutions but receives less global recognition. Global majority reporting was more likely to describe implementation-level responses such as climate-smart agriculture, local governance reform and state action plans.
• Expert legitimacy remains unequal. Global north media quoted global north experts far more frequently than global majority experts — 39.3% compared with 3.5% — including in stories about impacts in global majority countries.
• Local voices are prominent, but their stories rarely travel. Nearly two-thirds of global majority articles (63.2%) quoted local community members or domestic authorities, while 74.1% foregrounded resilience or solutions, but they remained largely confined to regional media ecosystems.
• Agency is assigned unevenly. Global north actors were more often framed as deciding, financing, modelling and setting standards, while global majority actors were framed as implementing and adapting — despite strong evidence of policy innovation and solutions leadership.

“Climate communication does more than describe a crisis. It influences who is heard, who is believed and who is seen as capable of leading. Our pilot suggests global majority journalists are already reporting solutions, resilience and local expertise, but those stories seldom travel. The Climate Voice Index will make that imbalance visible and give communicators, institutions and newsrooms practical ways to address it.”

Suzy Giles, Chair of the UNDP–ICCO Climate Communications Task Force and Founder of Giles Global

“This is not about replacing one, one-dimensional narrative with another. It is about building a richer and more accurate global climate story. The countries facing some of the harshest impacts are also generating practical responses, policy innovation and deep knowledge. Recognising them as co-authors is essential to better decisions, fairer funding and more effective climate action.”

Girish Balachandran, Vice-Chair of the UNDP- ICCO Task Force, Founder of OnPurpose and Group CEO of The Practice Group

From research to practical change

The next phase will expand the research across multiple countries and languages through the support and measurement expertise of AMEC members.

“What we measure influences what we value, and what we fail to measure risks remaining invisible. The Climate Voice Index will provide credible evidence of whose voices are heard, whose expertise is recognised and whose solutions shape the global climate conversation. With AMEC members contributing across regions, we can move beyond identifying imbalances to measuring progress, informing better decisions and driving meaningful change.” Johna Burke, CEO and Global Managing Director, AMEC.

As well as the Climate Voice Index, the initiative is expected to produce a practical Narrative Playbook to help communication agencies create more inclusive and representative climate communications. The intention is for the Task Force to further this work through thought leadership, round-table discussions and workshops to further connect the evidence with policy, funding and communications practice.

“Communities across the Global South are not only on the front line of climate impacts; they are also generating knowledge, innovation and solutions that the world needs. Yet their voices remain underrepresented in the narratives that influence policy, finance and public opinion. The Climate Voice Index will provide evidence to help address that imbalance, supporting climate communication that recognises agency, strengthens local leadership and contributes to more equitable and effective climate action.” Cassie Flynn, Director of UNDP Planet Hub.

The project is a truly global communications collaboration and is a testament to the incredible work of AMEC and ICCO member agencies, whose active participation is shaping the climate narrative to create a more equitable environment and give voice to those who have not been adequately represented in the increasingly urgent fight against the impacts of climate change.

Media enquiries: For all media enquiries, please contact Suzy Giles on suzy@gilesglobal.com, +64 2109147680