Despite a positive agenda put forward by President Lula, the ‘COP of Implementation’ and the ‘COP of Truth’ ultimately missed the opportunity to deliver enough for those on the frontlines of the climate crisis – including over half the world’s population living in cities.
Whilst the overall outcome fell short, COP30 did see progress on a number of critical issues. Here is our full outcome analysis, and some highlights from Week 2.
Missed opportunities and rays of hope
The final Mutirão decision of the COP30 negotiations fell short on several of its original goals and did little to advance the transition away from fossil fuels that the world needs.
In addition, while it emphasised that working with cities and non-state actors is crucial to boost ambition and accelerate national climate action, it also did not go far enough in providing cities and other forms of local government with a meaningful space for dialogue and collaboration with national governments. Partnerships, multilevel action and a focus on implementation are critically needed to drive faster, fairer climate action. If we are to succeed, we need fresh approaches to climate multilateralism that are more fit for purpose for today’s world.
Still, Belém’s COP was able to deliver some positive outcomes at one of the most challenging times for multilateralism and international cooperation. Across the outcomes of COP30 and G20, there are signs that a substantial part of the world is inching towards a plan for whole-of-society just transitions, working with cities, communities and across all levels of government to put people first.
We welcome some encouraging developments within the negotiations, such as the decision to develop a new just transition mechanism, the success and five-year renewal of the Action Agenda as an engine to drive implementation, the adoption of the Belém Gender Action Plan, and a new call to triple adaptation finance by 2035. We also welcome the momentum that rallied in Belém, but hasn’t yet translated into negotiated outcomes – such as the growing coalition of countries uniting for a fossil fuel phase-out plan, and an increasing number of countries defending the role and participation of subnationals in the COP process.
These all offer further opportunities to reflect on how climate cooperation and multilateralism can innovate to substantially drive real-life on-the-ground action, and how cities’ contributions can support unlocking the global fair and inclusive transition we all need. This past weekend, the G20 Leaders Declaration also clearly signalled the power of multi-level collaboration to attract finance for just transitions.
Despite the lacklustre consensus outcome, the ambitious coalitions that demanded more from COP30 – and made clear they would continue to deliver regardless of the negotiated outcomes – provide a powerful source of hope and fresh impetus for global climate collaboration. Cities stand ready as vital partners in these efforts, as they continue to provide the leadership that billions of people on the frontlines of the climate crisis demand.
What happened in week 2?
Subnationals on the rise
The disappointing outcome notwithstanding, there has been notable development in recognition of subnationals and the vital role they play in implementing climate action on the ground.
Last Wednesday, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with mayors and subnational leaders, who delivered a crucial message: the need for a formal dialogue in the COP process between national, local, and regional governments to accelerate the delivery of the Paris Agreement.
Mayors of Chefchaouen (Morocco), Maringá, Bacarena and Benevides and the Governor of Pará (Brazil) delivered the joint outcome statement from the Local Leaders Forum to President Lula and Minister of Cities Jader Barbalho Filho: a declaration of unwavering commitment to implement real, on-the-ground solutions to the climate crisis.
Climate doers assemble
On Thursday, subnationals held a press conference on multilevel cooperation, stressing that COP30 would not be the COP of implementation without the inclusion of mayors and local leaders – the “climate doers”.
It was an opportunity for cities, states and regions to articulate what they were pushing for in the COP outcome text, so they could deliver on COP President do Lago’s words in the opening plenary: “The presence of governors and mayors is extremely important, because [they] have an absolutely essential role in implementing the decisions of the COPs.”
Cities don’t just house families and livelihoods. Cities are the places of great hope when it comes to the climate movement right now. They are already delivering results, and far ahead of our national leaders. 73% of C40 cities have peaked their emissions and are reducing per capita emissions 5 times faster than the global average.” – Eric Garcetti
Speakers included Eric Garcetti, Ambassador for Global Climate Diplomacy at C40 Cities, former Mayor of Los Angeles and US Ambassador to India; Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco, ICLEI Vice President and GCoM Regional Ambassador; Caterina Sarfatti, C40 Cities COP30 Head of Delegation; Yunus Arikan, Director of Global Advocacy at ICLEI, and LGMA focal point; and Champa Patel, Executive Director for Governments and Policy at Climate Group.
We want this to be the COP of implementation, the COP of truth, and for the world to celebrate and reinforce multilateralism and multilevel action. But this COP cannot be the COP of implementation unless subnationals and multilevel action are at the heart of the outcomes.” – Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen
The Head of C40 delegation at COP30, Caterina Sarfatti, also spoke about our strong support for adopting the roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels, describing it as potentially “one of the most unexpected and historic wins humanity needed in one of its most challenging moments.”
How could we not support it? C40 cities have committed to collectively halving fossil fuel use by the end of this decade. We are already delivering the roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels. But for this COP to be the COP of implementation, it needs implementers at its heart.” – Caterina Sarfatti, C40 Cities
The era of fossil fuels must end
While the final outcome text of COP30 failed to deliver on its promise, a historic moment was delivered by Colombia as it launched the Belém Declaration on fossil fuels, together with a first international conference on a just transition away from fossil fuels – and invited cities and subnationals.
C40 Cities strongly supports this development – it’s the ambition we need to see to end the era of fossil fuels for good.
Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities, said:
C40 Cites stands fully behind Colombia’s Belém Declaration on a just transition away from fossil fuels. We respond to their invitation for subnational involvement with an ‘absolutely… yes!’
This is the global leadership we need to see at COP30. C40 mayors are already committed to halving fossil fuel use by 2030. The Co-Chair of C40, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, is a proud Special Envoy of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. We are delivering, and we stand ready to work with all partners who want to end the world’s dependence on fossil fuels.”
Aside from supporting Colombia’s Belém Declaration and a fossil fuel transition roadmap – which, although not featured in the negotiated outcomes, is being taken forward as a voluntary initiative by the Brazilian Presidency (see below) – C40 Cities signed the We Mean Business Coalition’s joint statement supporting the roadmap, and in Week 1, released a statement calling for COP30 to raise ambition and progress plans to phase out fossil fuels.
Cities’ position on fossil fuels is clear – and they are already taking bold, concrete action. C40 cities are moving five times faster than national governments’ current per-capita emissions reduction targets – showing that a fossil-free future is not just possible, but already taking shape on the ground.
Just transition isn’t just possible – it’s essential
At the end of Week 1, C40 Cities’ Caterina Sarfatti told CNN Brasil that a “just and orderly transition” isn’t just possible, it’s essential – and it’s already starting in cities. The green transition must be just and inclusive, with social participation key to ensuring benefits like clean air, quality jobs and health reach all.
In Week 2, Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities, delivered an intervention at the Just Transition Ministerial to reinforce these points on behalf of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) constituency, and gave examples of subnational just transitions already underway in places like Warsaw, Rio de Janeiro, and the State of Lagos.
We commend national governments and fellow observers for advancing efforts to reduce inequalities and promote decent work through climate action under the Just Transition Work Programme. This is a key priority for our diverse membership, including municipalities, states, regions, cities and subnational networks.
As those closest to residents, with local knowledge and powers over key climate sectors, subnational governments are vital just transition implementers. They use their powers to expand clean energy access, support green jobs and skills creation, especially for marginalised residents, while engaging directly with communities, workers, and businesses. With the right support and recognition, they can be crucial partners to national governments in delivering just transition pathways.” – Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities
Many national delegates at the Ministerial meeting highlighted the need for a whole-of-government approach to recognise the role of subnationals in the Just Transition Work Programme.
The responsibility now lies with all of us – Parties and non-Parties, public and private sectors, national and subnational implementers – to deliver results fast, fairly, and at scale.” – Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC (source)
CHAMP and multilevel governance confirm results
A new joint assessment from the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) and C40 Cities released at COP30 showed that local climate action is accelerating faster in CHAMP countries – those that partner with cities – as cities are cutting emissions, scaling resilience, and turning climate plans into real implementation. The analysis confirmed that local climate action is an indispensable force for achieving the Paris Agreement goals.
Evidence showed a significant acceleration in mitigation and adaptation efforts, with reported actions increasing nearly tenfold since 2015.
However, the assessment alerted to a large global finance and implementation gap in regions like Africa and the Middle East, where adaptation efforts lag, underscoring the urgent need for support and finance to cities in the Global South. To fully unlock the potential of this local action, the report outlined clear recommendations for national governments: they must actively empower cities by institutionalising multilevel governance through the CHAMP coalition, embedding local priorities into national plans via the Plan to Accelerate Solutions (PAS), and urgently directing climate finance to cities via the Baku–Belém Roadmap to accelerate global climate delivery.
More support for multilevel partnerships
Global youth urged COP30 to put cities and local solutions at the heart of national climate action.
The Global Youth Statement urged national governments to endorse and implement CHAMP – the Coalition for High-Ambition Multilevel Partnerships – to strengthen cooperation between national and local governments to ensure this becomes the COP of Implementation.
Earlier in Week 2, C40 Cities called on COP30 to formally recognise cities as essential partners for multilevel cooperation – so they could continue to lead delivery of on-the-ground climate action. Embedding subnational governments into decision-making, enabling direct access to finance and technical support, and integrating city-led progress into COP outcomes would allow implementation that is already happening on the ground to be scaled up and expanded: a win-win situation for national governments and their national climate action plans. While the final outcome texts didn’t carry the references cities hoped for, the CHAMP coalition will continue pushing for multilevel collaboration and cooperation, to accelerate results on the ground.
Analysis: What did COP30 deliver?
Securing consensus among 194 nations at this difficult political moment was a tumultuous task in Belém. While this COP has ultimately missed the opportunity to meaningfully innovate itself, shift to implementation and deliver enough for those on the frontlines of the climate crisis, we nonetheless saw several hopeful developments.
In a landmark outcome, COP30 agreed to develop a new just transition mechanism – the so-called Belém Action Mechanism (BAM) – the first structured tool within the COP process designed to better align and support global initiatives for a fair, inclusive transition. The mechanism’s success, however, will hinge on genuinely involving the voices of workers, communities, and cities and subnational governments from its inception. Last weekend’s G20 Leaders Declaration also delivered an important signal of the importance of multi-level collaboration for attracting necessary financing for a just energy transition.
Consistent with the “COP of Truth” narrative presented by President Lula, COP recognised for the first time the vital importance of information integrity in climate action as a critical issue for the conference process.
Some positive progress was made on climate finance. On adaptation finance: countries agreed to a new goal to triple adaptation finance by 2035. Boosted adaptation finance must reach the local level, as it’s here – in the cities and communities on the frontline of the climate crisis – that adaptation action takes place. Countries also launched a two-year work programme on climate finance, aiming to help get the money moving to meet the finance goals agreed at COP29 and COP30.
COP30 also saw coalitions of the willing wage a strong battle to demand stronger outcomes, with Colombia launching the Belém Declaration on Fossil Fuels and leading the charge to galvanise support for a fossil fuel transition roadmap. Ultimately, a few countries blocked this key outcome, with only a veiled reference to delivering on the whole COP28 deal (which included the commitment to transition away from fossil fuels) appearing in the Belém decisions.
At the closing plenary, the Brazilian Presidency offered to develop a fossil fuel roadmap, but this is not part of the negotiated outcomes and hence is voluntary. Despite this, Colombia and the Netherlands are pressing ahead to organise a conference to drive tangible progress on fossil fuel phase-out, taking place from 28-29 April 2026 in Santa Marta, Colombia, and have invited subnational governments (see above)!
The final “Mutirão decision” saw 194 countries emphasise the critical role of cities and non-state actors in boosting ambition and supporting national climate action, and agree to a Global Implementation Accelerator. However, despite strong recognition of the importance of multilevel action, the outcome failed to create new tools or financial pathways to empower local leaders – a disappointment for a “COP of Implementation” that relies on subnational governments for tangible delivery.
COP30 successfully positioned the Action Agenda as a key engine for linking negotiations to real-world implementation of the Paris Agreement. This operational focus was secured by a Five-Year Plan – consulted on by over 120 Parties – which creates a “fit for purpose” living architecture, according to COP30 President Ambassador Andre Correa do Lago, directly linking the Global Stocktake outcomes to national climate plans. The revamped Action Agenda showcased clear, measurable progress across six thematic axes and 30 key objectives, reflecting the efforts of over 480 voluntary initiatives, gathering 190 countries and tens of thousands of non-state actors committed to implementation, launching 117 Plans to Accelerate Solutions at COP30.
In this new era, we must bring our process closer to the real economy [and] at COP30, through the Action Agenda – that is exactly what we did.
UN Climate Change Executive-Secretary Simon Stiell
How COP30 delivered on our key asks
- Recognise the role of cities and subnationals as full partners in climate action – to bridge the implementation gap, deliver on the Paris Agreement and secure a just transition.
🟢 POSITIVE OUTCOME The final ‘Mutirão’ outcome text includes the strongest recognition in any COP agreement of the important role of cities and subnationals in driving action on the Paris Agreement. It welcomes the efforts of cities and other subnational authorities in “multilevel climate action”, and “calls on all actors” – countries, cities and others – to continue working together to accelerate and scale-up action to keep 1.5ºC within reach, build resilience and mobilise means of implementation. This built on the increasing recognition in the hallways and negotiating rooms of the power of cities and subnationals as implementation partners, by national governments, the media and many leading climate voices. - Explore new methods to engage cities and subnationals in the COP process, including through formal spaces, mechanisms or dialogues, to enable, incentivise, and support meaningful partnerships for subnational-national collaboration, to focus on and support urban climate action.
🔴 LIMITED PROGRESS It is disappointing that this recognition was not translated into meaningful new tools to expand and support multilevel action in the final outcomes. Despite a number of countries – including many CHAMP endorsers – tabling a proposal for COP to create a new dialogue on multilevel climate action, it was not taken up in the final ‘Mutirão’ decision text. However, the COP30 outcomes open the door to new opportunities to enable and incentivise meaningful multilevel partnerships, to accelerate the implementation of our global climate goals. For example, COP30 created a “Global Implementation Accelerator”, an initiative overseen by the COP30 and COP31 Presidencies, which aims “to accelerate implementation across all actors to keep 1.5°C within reach”. This initiative will focus on the implementation of national climate plans, as well as other key agreements – including the COP28 agreement, which incorporated the crucial commitment to a just, equitable transition away from fossil fuels. It will be crucial for cities and local governments to be involved in this process. The “Belem Mission to 1.5ºC”, which aims to encourage higher NDC ambition by fostering dialogue on the international cooperation and financing needed for this, is also one to watch. - Formally acknowledge cities and subnationals as just transition implementers, and include them in the implementation of a new mechanism that helps to drive international collaboration on a just transition.
🟠 PROGRESS, ROOM FOR INFLUENCE The establishment of the just transition mechanism – designed to accelerate a just transition both globally and nationally – represents a significant achievement from Belém. For the mechanism to be truly equitable and inclusive, it must genuinely reflect the priorities, and listen to the voices of the workers and communities who championed its creation. To do this, it will be critical to involve subnational governments as partners from the outset, as they are closest to communities and best positioned to understand and respond to local realities. The mechanism’s design must also prioritise reducing fragmentation, facilitating mainstreaming and dissemination of best practices and guidance while ensuring adequate support is directed toward countries and subnational governments in the Global South. Despite the critical role of local governments being recognised in the Annual Report and by many national governments during the Belem negotiations, the final COP30 decision regrettably does not explicitly acknowledge their role as key drivers and partners for national governments – although the door remains open to secure this recognition at the next UN climate meetings in Bonn in June. A positive signal was the inclusion of the informal and care economy, energy poverty, the importance of human, gender, and labour rights, social dialogue and social protection, as well as locally led and participatory approaches to adaptation measures. In contrast, the decision’s ambition was significantly weakened by the omission of any reference to critical minerals and a just and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels and of inefficient subsidies. - Ensure that COP30 finance outcomes recognise cities’ investment needs, scale up and improve the quality of financing for urban climate action, especially for urban adaptation.
🟠 PROGRESS, ROOM FOR INFLUENCE At the start of COP, the COP29 and COP30 Presidencies launched the Baku to Belém Roadmap, aiming to chart a path to mobilising $1.3tn per year for developing countries’ climate action by 2035. The roadmap includes some promising signals that can enhance urban climate finance mobilisation through strengthening enabling policies, capacity building and improving direct access for cities/subnationals. Read more here. As usual, climate finance was a key battleground at this COP, and the decision to triple adaptation finance for 2035, although five years later than the 2030 deadline asked for by many developing countries, is still an important political signal. However, COP still struggled to make significant progress on the specifics of how to scale up climate finance to meet the climate finance goals agreed last year at COP29. The launch of a two-year work programme on climate finance could help answer some of these questions, and this is a further opportunity to ensure cities’ investment needs are elevated in future COP finance outcomes. Finally, the establishment of a Global Country Platform Hub and the announcement of 14 country platforms (including in 7 CHAMP endorsing countries) signal continued momentum and an additional opportunity to continue to advocate for the localisation of climate finance and the participation of subnationals in national investment plans.