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By Nathalia Clark
Amid discussions around a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels at COP30, today at a high-level briefing organized as part of the Action Agenda, the Kingdom of Cambodia announced its support for the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative. His Excellency Soung Sophorn, Secretary of State of the Council of Ministers, spoke of Cambodia’s intention to continue engaging and collaborating as the 18th nation-state composing the Initiative, working to develop a binding mechanism to accelerate a global just transition and a managed phase-out of oil, gas, and coal. Belém, Brazil, 17 November 2025.
H.E. Soung Sophorn, Secretary of State, Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, addressed the delegates in the room: “It is my honor to address this High-Level Meeting on the Fossil Fuel Treaty. Cambodia welcomes this important global initiative, which aligns with our national direction toward a low-carbon, green economy and climate-resilient future. Cambodia supports the Fossil Fuel Treaty as a tool to accelerate global ambition. We believe its goals are essential to safeguarding our planet and protecting vulnerable communities.”
“Cambodia stresses that developing countries cannot undertake this transition alone. We require enhanced international support, including climate finance, technology transfer, capacity development, and partnerships to diversify our energy systems and ensure that workers and communities are not left behind. Cambodia stands ready to work with all countries to advance the principles of no new drilling, a managed phase-out of fossil fuels, and a just, people-centered transition. Together we can build the foundations of a peaceful, sustainable, and climate-secure future for all. I am making this commitment now because I love my country and my people.”
Ministers of the 17 participating nations and 10 other like-minded countries attended the High-Level Briefing to discuss the legal pathway towards a treaty, the legal and financial mechanisms that could be included in a treaty, an overview of the Journey Fund, and how these workstreams work towards the First International Conference on the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels, to be hosted by Colombia in April 2026.
Ralph Regenvanu, Minister of Climate Change of Vanuatu, spoke on the panel: “The UNFCCC process is already undermined because it is dominated by fossil fuel interests. We are trying to bring ambition back into this process. The ICJ says now that it’s a legal obligation. We need to engage in initiatives such as the Fossil Fuel Treaty, which are key to successfully achieving the 1.5ºC goal. What we need is for all the big emitters to work and join us. Multilateralism is the way to solve this. We have done it before, for nuclear weapons and the cluster munitions treaty; there are precedents. We are here at COP30 to say, “Get off this pathway to help us all.”
Maina Talia, Minister of Climate Change of Tuvalu, welcomed more countries joining: “The logic is very simple: when we talk about the Treaty, we are talking about achieving the 1.5ºC climate goal. Achieving it means addressing the root cause of the crisis. Climate change falls disproportionately on our countries. We are talking about the very survival of our people. Here we are in Belém after 30 years, and it’s about time for us to agree to very serious, practical actions, rather than more talk. If we cannot achieve everything at COP, at least there is something we can do, which is that more countries join the Treaty Initiative. We need everyone on board.”
Ruleta Camacho-Thomas, Climate Ambassador for Antigua and Barbuda: “Antigua and Barbuda has been leading strategies for enhanced efforts in many fields. Something that has become clear to us is that international collaboration is essential. We have seen in all the advisory opinions that echo that what is needed is clear action, based on science, so that the most vulnerable countries are not placed with a disproportionate burden for the transition. We hope this treaty helps us to leverage this kind of ambition. We welcome Cambodia and look forward to like-minded countries helping us in this initiative.
Cambodia is the second country in SoutheastAsia to support the treaty proposal, after Timor-Leste. Cambodia’s participation in the Initiative significantly strengthens the development of a treaty, leveraging its experience in shaping the Ottawa Process—a successful multilateral effort to ban landmines—to help advance a global framework for phasing out fossil fuels.
Other countries also joined the event and made interventions during the briefing.
Hon. Dr. Madan Prasad Pariyar, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Government of Nepal: “I come from a country, Nepal, which is threatened by the impacts of rising emissions. We are committed to meeting the 1.5 limit, which is very important. We are committed to reducing emissions by 2045. We are here on behalf of the people of Nepal, expressing solidarity with this initiative. We are very much with you, and we would like to thank you for leading this very important initiative.”
Dr. Sunimal Jayathunga, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka: “The science is unambiguous. Sri Lanka recognizes the value of global initiatives and underscores the need for equity, distributed responsibilities, and access to resources. The global community must work together to ensure that transformation does not deepen inequalities. We commend the leadership and commitment of all participating nations to accelerate efforts to address the climate crisis at this moment. Disproportionate impacts, intense rainfalls, and landslides are not distant threats; they define our present. As an observer of the Initiative, we will continue to engage in this process and learn from those countries to build a mechanism to complement the existing climate treaties like the Paris Agreement and to protect the most vulnerable countries.”
Nithi Nesadurai, Director and Regional Coordinator of Climate Action Network Southeast Asia: “Climate Action Network Southeast Asia is delighted that Cambodia has declared its support for the fossil fuel treaty initiative. By making this declaration, Cambodia has shown outstanding climate leadership for the region and the rest of the world. It has now set the marker and created the impetus for the remaining nine countries in Southeast Asia to also express their support for a treaty. Cambodia had already shown its climate leadership when it became the second country in SEA to submit its NDC3.0, setting an ambitious target of 55% reductions in emissions by 2035. Shifting away from fossil fuels also makes economic sense for Cambodia, as the transition will reduce its expenditure on importing oil, gas, and coal. CANSEA looks forward to working with our members in the country and the Cambodian government to implement the treaty proposal.”
The timing of this announcement is significant, as delegates will discuss over the coming week the “roadmap” to transition away from fossil fuels that President Lula called for at the opening of the leaders’ summit. The proposed Fossil Fuel Treaty offers the clearest, most actionable roadmap yet, one that is binding, 1.5ºC-aligned, equity-based, and includes a commitment to end expansion and scale finance for the transition. Cambodia has shown leadership by adding its support for the negotiation of a treaty to accelerate a fast, fair, and financed global transition away from coal, oil, and gas.
This meeting follows the Ministerial Caucus of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, which took place right before COP30, where ministers of participating nations discussed the legal pathways to advance progress towards the negotiation of a Fossil Fuel Treaty. This dedicated process, supported by UN resolutions and other diplomatic outreach, is expected to kick off at the Conference for the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels, hosted by Colombia in April 2026.
The Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative is gaining rapid momentum globally. 18 nation-states and other like-minded countries, such as Sri Lanka and Nepal, are now participating in the process to develop a Fossil Fuel Treaty, with the proposal being formally endorsed by 145+ cities and subnational governments around the world, who agree that a binding legal framework is necessary to accelerate a just and equitable global transition for the phase-out of oil, gas, and coal and to help achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
