UNFCCC-COP30 Concludes at Belém: “Mutirão Agreement” Adopted

The 30th Conference of Parties (COP30) to the UNFCCC concluded in Belém, Brazil, on November 23, 2025, with countries adopting a consensus text titled the Mutirão (Coming Together) Agreement. The pact lays out new commitments on climate finance, adaptation, and support for developing nations, though it notably omits any reference to phasing out fossil fuels.

Major Outcomes of the Mutirão Agreement

1. New Climate Finance Work Programme

• Countries agreed to establish a two-year work programme on climate finance.
• The aim is to define pathways and modalities for scaling up climate finance support to developing countries.

2. Mobilizing $1.3 Trillion Annually by 2035

• The agreement calls for mobilizing at least USD 1.3 trillion per year by 2035 for global climate action.
• This includes finance for mitigation, adaptation, and support mechanisms like the Loss and Damage Fund.

3. Tripling Adaptation Finance

• Nations committed to “at least triple” adaptation finance by 2035.
• Adaptation funding has historically lagged behind mitigation finance.

Trade and Climate Linkages Recognized

4. Dialogue on Climate Measures and Trade

• For the first time, the agreement establishes a systematic dialogue involving:
  • International Trade Centre (ITC)
  • UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
  • World Trade Organization (WTO)
• The dialogue will examine how climate policies can avoid impeding trade, development, and growth in developing countries.

Loss and Damage and Implementation Support

5. Operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund

• The agreement announces steps to fully operationalize the Loss and Damage Fund created at COP28.

6. Two Major Initiatives Launched

• Global Implementation Accelerator – to support countries in delivering their NDCs and adaptation plans.
• Belém Mission to 1.5°C – focused on enhancing collective efforts to keep global warming within 1.5°C.

New Focus Areas

7. Tackling Climate Disinformation

• For the first time at any COP, countries acknowledge climate disinformation as a barrier to climate action.
• The agreement pledges to promote information integrity and counter narratives that undermine climate science.

Climate Finance Definition Still Contested

• The agreement reflects ongoing debates on what counts as climate finance:
  • Whether only public finance should count, or
  • Commercial investments in climate projects as well.
• This distinction remains unresolved.

Mitigation vs. Adaptation Imbalance Highlighted

• Historically, mitigation finance attracted more investment due to business-friendly projects.
• Adaptation projects—crucial for developing countries—remain underfunded, motivating the new commitment to tripling adaptation finance.

India’s Stand at COP30

8. Support for Just Transition and Trade Equity

• India expressed “satisfaction with major outcomes”, including:
  • The establishment of a Just Transition Mechanism (JTM)
  • The creation of space to discuss Unilateral Trade-Restrictive Climate Measures (e.g., carbon border taxes)

Notable Omission

9. No Mention of Fossil Fuels

• The Mutirão Agreement contains no reference to ‘fossil fuels’, nor any roadmap to phase down or phase out their use.
• This omission signals a lack of global consensus on ending fossil fuel dependence.

Sources: TH & UN