18 November 2025

COP has never been this close to putting people’s needs and rights at the centre of climate action. The latest Just Transition text shows real movement: consensus on the inclusion of key social groups, recognition of labour rights, and a clear push to anchor justice in the transition itself.

Anabella Rosemberg, Senior Advisor on Just Transition at Climate Action Network International, said: “Most countries are moving – determined to land a Just Transition that delivers for workers and communities. There is a real opportunity on the table, one that the Belém Action Mechanism can turn from aspiration into action. But without a mechanism, these commitments risk becoming gestures instead of guarantees. 

“Developing countries are providing the leadership – holding firm for a mechanism with real teeth, refusing to let justice dissolve into rhetoric. But a number of developed countries are holding back the room. No one should be allowed to derail what the majority is building.”

The text now contains what Parties need to land an ambitious Belém Action Mechanism – a decision that would stand out as the landmark achievement of #COP30.

As ministers from Mexico and Poland take over, developed countries now face a choice: stand with the majority pushing for action, or repeat the patterns that have defined centuries of colonialism – extraction, delay, and the quiet expectation that others shoulder the burden.

The room is ready to move. This is the moment not to spoil it – but to make the #Transition real.

Chiara Martinelli, Executive Director of Climate Action Network Europe, said: “The European Union says it wants a people-centred transition, yet when the moment comes to back the historic mechanism that would make it real, it hesitates. After a welcome step in the right direction of more ambition, the #EU risks retreating into more reports and more dialogues. The cannot preach justice while stalling on the one decision that would prove it. Europe must decide whether it is part of the solution – or intends to hold everyone back. And the EU knows from its own experience working on #JustTransitions, both in Europe and with its neighbours, that such a mechanism is the only way forward. Now is the moment for the EU to support the #Belem Action Mechanism for a global transition that ensures the benefits are shared by all.” 

Catherine Pettengell, Executive Director of Climate Action Network UK (CAN-UK), said: “The United Kingdom is charting a course for just transition at home, yet still refuses to recognise the importance of supporting it globally through a mechanism that would make fairness real for workers and communities everywhere. Is this an oversight – or an abandonment? The majority world is fighting here at COP30 for a Just Transition mechanism, and the UK must step up in support. Just Transition is about better lives for everyone in the UK and around the world, and it deserves nothing less than full-throated support from the UK.”

Caroline Brouillette, Executive Director of Climate Action Network Canada – Reseau Action Climat Canada, said: “Countries with far fewer resources are showing more bravery than Canada is willing to muster. If Canada can champion sustainable jobs at home, it can support the mechanism that would give other countries the same chance. Right now, through its silence, Canada is refusing to support these critical new institutional arrangements needed to make it real. The double standard is obvious – Canadian civil society and countries from the South won’t forget it.” 

Denise Cauchi, Chief Executive Officer of Climate Action Network Australia, said: “Australia says the transition must work for people, yet it is one of the few developed countries blocking the mechanism designed to deliver exactly that. With most Parties calling for action, Australia’s silence is becoming its signature. The gap between its rhetoric and its actions is no longer a gap – it’s a choice.”

Contact: Attila Kulcsar, CAN International, akulcsar@climatenetwork.org, +44 7472 124872 (WhatsApp)