Just Transition Call Urges Fair, People-Centred Climate Action

Activists protest in the Blue Zone, where diplomatic negotiations take place, warning that planet Earth is dying due to worsening climate crises. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS

An open letter signed by more than 1,000 organisations from 106 countries—including trade unions, Indigenous leaders, feminist and youth movements, Afro-descendant groups, peasant organisations, environmental advocates, disability networks and community bodies—has called on all States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to adopt a people-centred Just Transition.

“Ten years ago, the Paris Agreement carried a promise: that climate action would protect people’s rights and livelihoods, placing the responsibility of transition on those who contributed most to the crisis,” the letter states.

“The commitment to implement a Just Transition implied centring workers, communities and Indigenous Peoples to build a future rooted in rights, fairness, equity and solidarity. It also called for unprecedented international cooperation so every country could find new pathways to social and economic justice within planetary boundaries.”

“A decade later, that promise remains unfulfilled.”

“Instead,” the letter continues, “we have seen stalled climate action, widening inequality and people left behind. At COP27, the establishment of the Just Transition Work Programme was a crucial step toward putting justice at the heart of climate action. But words alone cannot hold back the tide.”

The Just Transition Work Programme—a UN initiative under the UNFCCC—aims to support countries in meeting climate goals while ensuring that the shift to a low-carbon economy is fair, equitable and socially inclusive. It provides space for collaborative dialogue and identifies principles for countries to develop their own transition plans, focusing on social and economic impacts such as job creation, worker protection, social security and human rights.

Within this context, the proposed Belém Action Mechanism (BAM) for Just Transition—a new UNFCCC financial and coordination framework—has become a major sticking point at COP30. Negotiations are split between the G77 plus China and developed nations, including the UK and other Global North countries. The G77+China position aligns with civil society and trade unions on advancing a Just Transition.

BAM aims to transform Just Transition concepts into a practical plan under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement by identifying obstacles, opportunities and international support required across different sectors, countries and communities.

“We are following the Just Transition Work Programme negotiations. And what we are seeing is that many countries still do not want to phase out fossil fuels,” said Kuda Manjonjo of Power Shift Africa, a climate and energy think tank providing policy analysis, advocacy and communications from an African perspective.

He said these countries argue that their economies need more time. “I think that’s very reasonable for achieving a just transition. We cannot blame African countries that did not cause the problem but are locked into fossil-fuel systems. Yet they still need a transition. That is what is important.”

“For Africa,” he added, “the facts are simple: renewable energy is cheaper. So the question is, how do we transition in an equitable and just way—not only for countries but also for the people?”

He stressed the need for finance and funding to support transition efforts, adaptation, and the shift away from fossil fuels—issues heavily debated at COP29 in Baku.

He clarified that while they do not support continuing fossil-fuel use, Africa needs assistance to reduce dependence. “We are not receiving sufficient support from Global North countries. The pathway for a just transition is being negotiated. A global mechanism that supports this transition is extremely important.”

“The Belém Action Mechanism will allow knowledge-sharing, coordination and, hopefully, future resource mobilisation. The G77 and China agreed to a mechanism yesterday, and we hope the EU, UK and others will support it as well.”

Building on Just Transition principles adopted at previous COPs, the BAM seeks to fill longstanding gaps in coordination, clarity and support. By anchoring Just Transition within the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, the mechanism aims to ensure pathways that are socially and climate-aligned, reinforcing the principles of Equity and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC).

Anabella Rosemberg, Senior Advisor on Just Transition at Climate Action Network International, said the G77+China had taken an important step. “Their call for a Just Transition Mechanism marks a shift from dialogue to implementation. After years of empty talk, developing countries are demanding what this process has failed to deliver—a real mechanism to make Just Transition happen.”

“This is the majority of the world saying: ‘Enough dialogue, it’s time for delivery.’”

On Tuesday, 11 November, the COP30 Presidency held an open dialogue with civil-society representatives linked to the UNFCCC to discuss ways to accelerate a just energy transition. On the same day in Belém, dozens of Climate Action Network activists protested in the corridors of the Blue Zone—the area where diplomatic negotiations take place.

They argued that a properly executed Just Transition would create decent jobs, secure livelihoods, ensure food and energy sovereignty, strengthen community safety and guarantee a livable future for all. They also warned that if mishandled, it could become a new excuse for delay, exclusion and corporate capture.

At a session attended by UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell and COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago, it was emphasised that “climate action is not only negotiated by governments but built through cooperation among peoples. The Open Dialogue embodies this spirit, bringing together Parties, civil society and all constituencies to listen, exchange ideas and co-create solutions.”