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By Christine Mbithi
The governments of Colombia and The Netherlands announce co-hosting the first international conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels as COP30 Text Drops with No Mention of fossil fuels.
As COP30 negotiations draw to an end, and the most recent text released this morning makes no mention of fossil fuels, the governments of Colombia and the Netherlands show leadership by announcing they will co-host the First International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels. The announcement was made by the Minister of Environment of Colombia, Irene Vélez Torres, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Climate Policy of the Netherlands, Sophie Hermans, during a high-level press conference in Belém. 21st November 2025, Belém, Brazil.
The landmark convening will take place on 28-29 April 2026, in the port city of Santa Marta, Colombia, which plays a significant role in coal exports. Pacific nations have committed to convening a subsequent meeting in the region to advance the outcomes.
Irene Vélez Torres, Minister in Charge of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, said, “From the heart of the Amazon, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant communities, campesino organizations, academia, and social movements delivered a message that we cannot ignore. This COP cannot end without a clear, just, and equitable roadmap for the global phase-out of fossil fuels. We are not asking for an empty document. We are not asking for an empty announcement. We must leave this COP with a global roadmap that guides, not symbolically but concretely, our collective efforts to phase out fossil fuels.”
“As difficult as it can be, we also know that this conversation cannot end here. We must keep the momentum, lead with bravery, rise to the challenge, and build a coalition of the willing. For that, Colombia, in alliance with the government of the Netherlands, announces today the first international conference on the just transition away from fossil fuels. We invite all willing countries, subnational actors, campesinos, Afros, indigenous people, and NGOs to join us in Santa Marta. This will be a broad intergovernmental, multisectoral platform complementary to the UNFCCC, designed to identify legal, economic, and social pathways that are necessary to make the phasing out of fossil fuels.”
Sophie Hermans, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Climate Policy and Green Growth, the Netherlands, said, “There is a clear momentum to phase out fossil fuels, and now is the time to capitalize on it. We must begin to materialize what this phase-out could look like and start a concrete roadmap that allows us to incorporate the new and leave the old behind,” Sophie Hermans, Minister for Climate and Green Growth of the Netherlands.”
The conference will advance international cooperation on transitioning away from fossil fuel extraction—reinforcing the objectives of the Paris Agreement and aligning with the recent Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, which confirmed that states have a legal obligation to protect the climate, including by addressing fossil fuel production, licensing, and subsidies.
Hosting this summit in a major coal port, in the world’s fifth-largest coal producer, sends a powerful message: fossil-fuel-dependent nations want to end their dependence on oil, gas, and coal extraction, but doing so fairly requires unprecedented international cooperation so that no one is left behind.
Ralph Regenvanu, Minister for Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Disaster Management of Vanuatu, said, “We welcome this historic first conference as a critical step forward, recognizing that this is the beginning of an ongoing and urgent process. To ensure momentum continues, Vanuatu is committed to working with our Pacific brothers and sisters to explore hosting a subsequent convening under our leadership, in partnership with other countries. This will ensure that the conversations continue and that collectively we can build the roadmap for the fossil-free future we need—one that is just, funded, and achievable.”
Maina Talia, Minister of Climate Change of Tuvalu: “As a nation facing the existential threat of sea-level rise, Tuvalu understands firsthand the devastating impacts of the fossil-fueled climate crisis. The upcoming conference offers a vital opportunity to advance our call for a binding Fossil Fuel Treaty that prioritizes the needs of the most vulnerable. We must ensure that any transition is rooted in equity and justice, empowering nations like Tuvalu to adapt and thrive in the face of unprecedented challenges. We are committed to working with all stakeholders and bringing more countries from all regions to the table to forge a treaty that reflects the urgency and scale of the climate emergency and secures a viable future for our people and our culture.”
This major announcement was accompanied by the launch of the “Belém Declaration on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels,” supported by 24 countries, which constitutes a direct contribution to Lula’s call to develop a global roadmap—by setting out the minimum level of ambition that should guide any just and equitable transition plan at the international level.
Countries supporting the declaration are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Nepal, Netherlands, Panama, Spain, Slovenia, Vanuatu, and Tuvalu.
The First International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels will serve as a strategic space for dialogue among a broad range of stakeholders—including government representatives, experts, rural and Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant communities, civil society, climate advocates, industry leaders, and academia—to explore viable, fair, and equitable pathways for transitioning to sustainable, diversified, and accessible energy. Designed to foster robust and structural transformations, the summit aims to facilitate a planned, just, and sustainable phase-out of fossil fuels and address the need for a structural shift in our socioeconomic model.
The idea of a global conference builds upon successful examples of previous diplomatic summits that have led to increased international cooperation to address major global threats, including the Ottawa Conference to address land mines, the Oslo Conference on cluster munitions, and the discussions on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, for which a series of three conferences, known as the Humanitarian Initiative, shifted the framing of nuclear weapons from one of security to a humanitarian discourse, leading to successful resolution within the UN General Assembly.
This announcement comes at a pivotal moment, marked by a growing disconnect between global fossil fuel production plans and what is required to limit warming to 1.5°C. Government projections show fossil fuel production will exceed Paris-aligned levels by more than 120% in 2030, and by 2050, production is expected to be 4.5 times higher than what a 1.5°C pathway allows, highlighting the urgency of a coordinated global effort to phase out coal, oil, and gas.
At the same time, momentum toward a fossil-free future has never been stronger. Cambodia became the 18th nation to join the call for negotiating a Fossil Fuel Treaty during COP30, adding to a rapidly expanding coalition also backed by 140 cities and subnational governments, the WHO, the European Parliament, over 4,000 civil society organizations, 3,000+ scientists and academics, 101 Nobel laureates, more than 900 parliamentarians across the world, and many businesses.
