COP30: Key Priorities for Climate Action and Human Rights

The 30th annual United Nations climate change conference, COP30, will convene from November 10–21, 2025, in Belém, Brazil. The conference brings together countries party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, alongside thousands of experts, journalists, climate activists, and representatives from businesses and NGOs.

Marking the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, COP30 comes amid an escalating climate crisis. The year 2024 was the warmest on record, and COP29 in Azerbaijan failed to make significant progress toward keeping global temperatures below 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. This makes COP30 a critical opportunity for ambitious climate action.

As host, Brazil has a chance to recenter multilateralism and ensure the global response is anchored in human rights. Priorities include phasing out fossil fuels, protecting land and forest rights, and supporting communities affected by climate impacts.

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Updated National Climate Plans

Countries are expected to submit updated climate plans outlining emission reductions through 2035. However, most plans submitted so far fall short of the 1.5°C target. Governments should commit to concrete milestones, such as ending new fossil fuel exploration, removing subsidies, and ensuring monitoring and accountability.

Following the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion (July 23, 2025) confirming states’ legal duty to protect the climate, COP30 should ensure these obligations are translated into time-bound fossil fuel phase-out plans within the 2035 national climate strategies.

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Fossil Fuel Transition at COP30

Despite COP28 commitments, COP29 made little progress on reducing fossil fuel reliance. Fossil fuels drive over 80% of global CO₂ emissions, disproportionately affecting nearby communities through environmental and human rights harms.

Brazil’s Environment Minister, Marina Silva, has suggested COP30 could produce a roadmap for a “planned and just transition”, requiring countries to report targets, timelines, and supportive policies. Key negotiation tracks include:

• Global Stocktake (GST) Implementation: Monitors progress toward Paris Agreement goals.

• Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP): Supports an equitable and orderly transition.

• COP30 Cover Decision: Could formalize commitments and frameworks.

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A Just Transition Aligned with Human Rights

A just transition must adhere to international human rights law, including the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment, economic and social rights, and the right to development.

Principles should address:

• Social protections such as healthcare, education, and social security.

• The impact of critical energy mineral extraction on Indigenous peoples, workers, and local communities.

• Recommendations from the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals, emphasizing that human rights be central in all mineral value chains.

Recent UN guidance, including General Comment 27 (Sept 16, 2025), stresses that:

• Fiscal policies should support low-carbon economies.

• Addressing structural inequalities is essential for sustainable development.

COP30 should also support the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation, which could mobilize resources for a just transition, and back the Belém Action Mechanism to ensure meaningful participation by workers and rights-holders.

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Forest Protection and Indigenous Rights

Funds mobilized at COP30 must exclude industries driving deforestation and climate change, including:

• Fossil fuel infrastructure expansion

• Monocultures and large-scale livestock

• Logging and gold mining operations

This ensures that financial mechanisms protect forests and the rights of Indigenous and local communities.

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Supporting Communities on the Climate Frontlines

COP30 should develop indicators to measure progress toward a global adaptation goal, considering human mobility and planned relocation due to climate hazards.

Key considerations include:

• Planned relocation as a preventive or adaptive measure.

• Avoiding human rights risks if relocation is inadequately planned.

• Integrating mobility strategies into national climate and adaptation plans by 2035.

• Ensuring measurable indicators and funding to address human mobility challenges effectively.

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COP30 represents a pivotal moment for aligning climate action with human rights, advancing fossil fuel phase-out, protecting forests, and supporting vulnerable communities. With ambition and accountability, it can help the world move toward the goals of the Paris Agreement while safeguarding human dignity and justice.