COP30 in Brazil last month was a high mark of multilateralism in 2025. In the background of geopolitical tensions, it held its ground and deliberated a spectrum of critical issues, produced positive outcomes, and launched several new initiatives for stronger climate action under the Belém Package. The meeting was also viewed with disappointment by some as its proposals for much-needed climate finance could have been stronger and its plans for decarbonisation more clearly defined.

Here is a quick look at some major outcomes of the Belém Package.

National climate plans: The 2015 Paris accord reflects a shared desire for global action with a well-crafted time-bound roa­dmap. Since then, successive COPs have taken decisions to support governments in the implementation of their five-year climate plans known as Nationally Deter­mined Contributions. As COP30 coincided with the five-year cycle, 122 countries accounting for almost 74 per cent of global carbon emissions submitted their new NDCs — expected to be more ambitious by including a wide range of policy options and measures for supporting economic shifts necessary for a just transition.

To complement national climate plans, COP30 launched two new initiatives: the Global Implementation Accelerator ,which will support countries in implementing their NDCs, and the ‘Belém Mission to 1.5’ — billed as an action-oriented platform to bridge the NDCs gap and enhance international cooperation across mitigation, adaptation and investment. Both initiatives are voluntary and will be led by the current and next COP presidencies.

Climate finance: The Achilles heel of climate action was at the centre of the discussions. COP30 agreed to triple adaptation finance by 2035, building on a previous pledge to double adaptation funds by 2025. It decided to scale up climate finance from both public and private sources for developing countries to at least $1.3 trillion annually by 2035, and established a two-year work programme to follow up the implementation of this pledge and mobilisation of $300 billion by developed countries for adaptation.

A resolve to work collectively was evident.

Another outcome is the establishment of the Global Climate Finance Accountability Framework to bring coherence to fragmented pledges and ensure transparency and credibility in financial disbursement. From the perspective of developing countries, the decision calls for enhancing the role of concessional and grant-based finance as well as debt-for-climate swaps.

Global goal on adaptation: This is apart of the Paris accord. It aims to scale up adaptation, strengthen resilience, and reduce vulnerability to climate change. However, its implementation was very slow until an overarching framework was agreed two years ago that identified key areas for action, including water, health, and food in which countries needed to build resilience. To move things further, COP30 adopted a set of indicators to measure progress and monitor implementation of pledges on finance and technology support — a decision that will boost efforts towards realising global adaptation goals. This is good news for developing countries.

Trade policies: These and their links with climate action are well recognised, but are a sensitive issue at COPs. Developing countries seek assurances against ‘unilateral economic measures’, which they fear could translate into economic restrictions disguised as import regulations. COP30 launched a new dialogue on climate and trade to discuss the issues in detail. UNCTAD, WTO, and the International Trade Centre have been invited to join the dialogue.

Fossil fuels: These were again under the spotlight. Eyes were fixated on an expected outcome that would provide clarity on a formal approach to transition away from fossil fuels — a decision taken at COP28. Unfortunately, this did not happen. COP30 president André Corrêa do Lago acknowledged that expectations on this count were not met. As a compromise, he announced plans to design a voluntary roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels “in a just, orderly and equitable manner”. The proposed roadmap to be developed with input from scientists and industry will be sent back to the COP process.

A just transition: Global climate goals cannot be attained without a level playing field. To ensure a just transition to low-carbon and environmentally sustainable economies that safeguards the rights of poor nations and vulnerable communities, COP30 established a ‘just transition mechanism’ to be operationalised at the next COP.

The outcome of COP30 might not have satisfied all, but it did reflect an international resolve to combat climate change collectively. This resolve must be matched by implementing the Belém Package, fulfilling climate finance pledges, and meeting all other commitments.

The writer is director of intergovernmental affairs, United Nations Environment Programme.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2025