top of page
Search

 Bonn Climate Talks Recap: A Mixed Bag of Progress and Stalemate

Updated: Jul 17


Two delegates engage in conversation beneath the emblem of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany.
Two delegates engage in conversation beneath the emblem of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany.

The 62nd session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) was held from 16th - 26th June 2025 in Bonn, Germany, to prepare the ground for COP30 in Belém, Brazil. BCCN, working in alliance with African and Global South partners, followed the negotiations closely.


What emerged was a clear pattern of delay and division, with technical work moving slowly, and in many cases, overshadowed by political resistance from major emitting countries. African countries and civil society groups entered SB62 with high expectations for ambition, equity, and accountability. Unfortunately, most of these were not met.

Key Outcomes and Negotiation Highlights

  1. Delayed Start Reflects Deeper Political Tensions

The conference began with a 30-hour stalemate over the adoption of the agenda. African and developing countries had called for discussion of:

  • Finance obligations under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement

  • The impacts of unilateral trade measures (like carbon taxes from the Global North) 

Both items were blocked from formal inclusion by developed countries, revealing deep-seated resistance to equity-based negotiations.

“We demand international Support for a variety of nationally determined transition pathways...Additionally, we advocate for investments in people, community-based solutions, job creation, skills development, health initiatives and gender responsive policies.”

Dr Augustine Njamnshi


  1. Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA): Some Progress, But Still Fragmented 

 One area where modest gains were made was the GGA framework:

  • Parties agreed to develop a set of indicators to track global progress on adaptation.

  • Critically, these indicators will now include "means of implementation", such as finance, access, and quality of support, after sustained pressure from African negotiators.

However, the indicators remain global and aggregate, with many parties expressing concern that they fail to reflect national realities, a key issue for Botswana and others working on community-based adaptation.

BCCN supports the call for indicators grounded in local knowledge, that account for Africa's unique adaptation challenges.

  1. Finance and the NCQG: A Justice Deficit

Climate finance remained one of the most contentious and unresolved areas:

  • Discussions on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) showed no real agreement on structure, timelines, or delivery mechanisms.

  • There is no clarity on how the $300 billion/year finance goal (by 2035) will be met or distributed.

African demands, backed by BCCN and regional partners, include:

  • At least 50% of all climate finance for adaptation, not mitigation alone

  • Delivery in the form of grants, not loans

  • Direct access for local communities and institutions

  • Separate and transparent finance streams for adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage

“Renegotiations on the New Collective Quantified Goal must reflect the true costs of climate

action in the Global South.”

African Civil Society Statement for SB62

Loss and Damage Fund: Operational, But Inaccessible

While the Loss and Damage Fund was made operational at COP28, it remains unclear and underdeveloped:

  • No agreement on how countries will access the fund

  • No clear roadmap for national loss and damage plans

  • No system in place to assess real needs on the ground

     

The African bloc demanded that the fund deliver "real relief" for communities facing floods, droughts, displacement, and irreversible harm.

 

BCCN strongly echoes this call, emphasizing that the fund must:

  • Be grant-based, new, and additional, not repackaged aid,

  • Ensure direct access for those affected,

  • Be governed by transparent structures that include civil society and frontline voices.


Official Logo for the UNFCCC entity responsible for the convention's financing mechanisms for loss and damage
Official Logo for the UNFCCC entity responsible for the convention's financing mechanisms for loss and damage

Mitigation and Just Transition: Africa’s Realities Ignored

Talks under the Mitigation Work Program and Just Transition Work Program revealed sharp divides:

  • Some Global North countries called for new emissions cuts

  • African countries stressed the need for support first, not just pressure to set targets 

Africa continues to experience high energy poverty, low access to clean energy, and underinvestment in infrastructure.

BCCN supports:

  • Nationally determined transition pathways that respect development rights

  • Investment in people-centred solutions: jobs, skills, healthcare, and women’s empowerment

  • Rejection of externally imposed bans on transitional fuels without alternatives

A just energy transition for Africa must not come at the cost of development, dignity, or sovereignty

The Road to COP30: What Must Happen Next

As we prepare for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, it is clear that African countries and civil society must enter negotiations united, informed, and bold. BCCN will continue working with civil society partners across the continent to:

  • Coordinate national inputs into the Adaptation Framework and finance mechanisms

  • Mobilise and support local actors, youth, and women’s groups to engage meaningfully

  • Amplify calls for justice-centred, grant-based climate finance

  • Ensure Botswana’s priorities, especially around adaptation, loss & damage, and green development, are reflected

At the close of SB62 , African civil society leaders reaffirmed their dedication to a just climate future during PACJA'S exit press conference. Read the full exit statement below:


 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page