MADRID- Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will become the United Nations special envoy on climate action and climate finance from 2020, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday.

Speaking at a news conference ahead of a climate summit in Madrid Dec. 2-13, Guterres described Carney as "a remarkable pioneer in pushing the financial sector to work on climate".

Carney, who is due to step down as head of the Bank of England in January, has urged the financial sector to transform its management of climate risk, and led various international initiatives to improve supervision and disclosure. 

(Reporting by Isla Binnie Editing by Frances Kerry) ((isla.binnie@thomsonreuters.com; +39 06 8522 4392; Reuters Messaging: isla.binnie.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))