(AGENPARL) – Sun 23 November 2025 Statement
Statement by UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen on the closing of COP30
“At the gateway to the Amazon, COP30 took place as geopolitical tensions continue to rise. Achieving progress in such uncertain and challenging times is never guaranteed, yet the talks in Belém have shown that the Paris Agreement is working and delivering results, including a call to triple adaptation finance by 2035, a Just Transition Mechanism to ensure the emerging green economy benefits everyone, and new dialogues on how trade can support climate-resilient economic transformation and how to integrate the protection of mountains into climate policy.
“UNEP science and data reinforce the significant size of the challenge ahead, but equally reinforces proven solutions exist and a pathway remains to meet our global commitments. No one is saying this will be easy or we are on track. We must do much more, move much faster, and stretch our collective ambition even further. Countries should see their new national climate plans as a baseline to build on, not a ceiling for ambition. Keeping 1.5°C within reach requires us to accelerate the era of implementation at an unprecedented rate, so we can deliver the benefits people deserve: affordable clean energy, good jobs, clean air, and a safer, more resilient future for all. And as escalating climate impacts continue that spare no nation, we have to better finance, implement and prioritise adaptation efforts.
“But COP30 also reinforced the growing global momentum, both in and outside of the negotiating halls, to transition away from fossil fuels as agreed in Dubai at COP28, halt deforestation – including the launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility that now stands at US$6.7 billion – and pursue rapid, high-impact measures such as cutting methane emissions. The Action Agenda, the foundation to such an inclusive COP from the Brazil Presidency that saw unprecedented Indigenous Peoples leadership from the Amazon and across the world, reinforced momentum is coming from all sources, including businesses, cities and regions, local communities, civil society, women, people of African descent, youth, and many more.
“UNEP will continue our work to support all partners deliver the promise of the Paris Agreement, for people and for planet.”