BELÉM, Brazil, Nov 14 (IPS) – An open letter from more than a thousand organizations from 106 countries, including trade unions, indigenous leaders, feminist and youth movements, Afro-descendants, farmer groups, environmental activists, disability networks and community organizations, to all states parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, calls for a people-centred just transition.
“Ten years ago, the Paris Agreement held a promise: that climate action would protect people’s rights and livelihoods – and place the transition effort on those most responsible for the crisis,” the spokesperson said. letter say.
“The commitment to a just transition involved centering workers, communities and indigenous peoples – to build a future rooted in rights, fairness, equality and solidarity. It was also a call for unprecedented international cooperation, so that every country could find new paths to social and economic justice within the limits of the planet.”
“Ten years later, that promise remains unfulfilled.”
“Instead,” the letter continues, “we have seen climate action stalled, inequality widen and people left behind. At COP27, the creation of the Just Transition Work Program was a crucial step in putting justice at the heart of climate action. But words alone cannot turn the tide.”
The Just Transition Work Program is a UN initiative under the flag of the United Nations UNFCCC helping countries achieve climate goals while ensuring that the transition to a low-carbon economy is fair, equitable and socially just. It provides a platform for joint dialogue and identifies overarching principles for countries to develop their own national transition plans, focusing on social and economic impacts such as job creation, worker protection, social security and human rights.
In this context, the proposed Belém Action Mechanism (BAM) for a Just Transition, a new financial and coordination framework of the UNFCCC, poses a significant obstacle at the COP30. The mechanism has divided negotiations, pitting the G77 (a coalition of developing countries) and China against developed countries, including Britain and other countries in the North. The position of the G77 and China is consistent with that of civil society and trade unions in the context of the just transition.
BAM wants the ideas of Just transition in a clear and practical plan under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement by identifying obstacles, opportunities and international assistance needed to achieve the transition in different sectors, countries and communities.
“We are following the negotiations on the Just Transition Work Program. And what we see in those negotiations is that many countries still do not want to transition away from fossil fuels,” said Kuda Manjonjo of Power Shift Africa, a climate and energy think tank that provides policy analysis, advocacy and communications from an African perspective.
The argument is that their economies need time to phase out, he says. “I think that’s very reasonable in terms of a just transition. We can’t blame it, especially the African countries, who didn’t create the problem and are actually in a situation where they’re locked in. But they still need a transition. That’s what’s important.”
“For Africa,” he continues, “we know the facts are simple; renewable energy is cheaper. So the question is: how can we transition in a fair and equitable way, not just for the countries but also for the people?”
It is critical to secure funding and financing to support efforts for just transition, adaptation, and the shift away from fossil fuels. This is what they fought for in Baku (COP29).
He clarifies that while they do not “support” the use of fossil fuels, the path to using less fossil fuels in Africa needs support.
“We are not receiving sufficient support from the countries of the Global North for this transition. The path to a just transition is currently being negotiated. Having a global mechanism that enables and supports a just transition is extremely important.”
“The Belém Action Mechanism will in principle enable knowledge sharing, coordination and, hopefully in the future, resource mobilization that will then support this transition. The G7 and China agreed to such a mechanism yesterday, and we hope that the EU, UK and others will also support it.”
Building on the just transition principles adopted by the COP, the BAM provides what is “missing” in coordination, clarity and support to ensure that the transition is just, inclusive and adequately financed. Furthermore, BAM ensures that pathways are socially and climate-responsive, by firmly anchoring the just transition in the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement – while strengthening the principles of equality and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capacities (CBDR-RC).
Climate action network internationalAnabella Rosemberg, senior just transition advisor, said the G77 and China had taken an important step forward. The G77+China call for a just transition mechanism marks an important shift from dialogue to implementation. After years of empty talk, developing countries are demanding what this process has failed to deliver so far: a real mechanism to enable a just transition.”
“This is the majority of the world saying: enough dialogue, it’s time for results.”
On Tuesday, November 11, the COP30 Presidency held an open dialogue with civil society representatives affiliated with the UNFCCC to discuss ways to accelerate the implementation of a just energy transition. On the same day, dozens of activists affiliated with the Climate Action Network (CAN) protested in Belém in the corridors of the Blue Zone – an area where diplomatic negotiations are taking place.
Their position is that, if done right, a just transition will lead to decent jobs, secure livelihoods, food and energy sovereignty, safer communities and a livable future for all. They further emphasized that the just transition, if ignored, could become the next excuse for postponement, exclusion and takeover of companies.
Against this backdrop, a session attended by UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell and COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago emphasized that “climate action is not just negotiated by governments, but is built through cooperation between peoples. The Open Dialogue embodies this spirit, bringing parties, civil society and all constituencies together to listen, share ideas and co-create solutions.”
This feature was published with the support of Open Society Foundations.
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