The COP30 climate talks in Belém witnessed a pivotal moment on day 2, when countries of the G77, plus China, united to call for a new global mechanism to deliver a just transition.
Teresa Anderson, Global Lead on Climate Justice for ActionAid International, said:
“This G77 proposal fires the starting gun on serious negotiations about the guardrails and systems needed to prevent climate action accidentally pushing people into poverty.
It’s now game on for just transition. Countries are finally talking in earnest about how workers, women, and communities can shape climate plans to make sure their lives are better and not worse.
Global North countries seemed taken aback by the proposal. It looked like they hadn’t realised that just transition really is a big priority for Global South countries at COP30. While they acknowledged the need for climate action to be shaped by just transition approaches, they couldn’t yet bring themselves to acknowledge that it’s going to take serious coordination and support to make this happen. Rich countries in the Global North can show they are sincere when they say they care about workers and communities, by agreeing to a mechanism that can raise standards for climate justice around the world.”
ActionAid’s new report, “Climate Finance for Just Transition: How the Finance Flows,” was released on the eve of COP30 and analyzes multilateral climate finance supporting just transition approaches.
ENDS
Notes to editors
For media requests, please email christal.james@actionaid.org or call 7046659743.
ActionAid Spokespeople at COP
- Teresa Anderson: Global Climate Justice Lead at ActionAid International, she is the head of Delegation and lead spokesperson at COP30
- Brandon Wu: Director of Policy & Campaigns at ActionAid USA (available in week 2)
- Flora Vano: Country Program Manager for ActionAid Vanuatu
- Fabiana Alves: Global Campaigns Lead at ActionAid International
- Farah Kabir: Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh
- Faides TembaTemba: Country Director of ActionAid Zambia
- Agnes Schim van der Loef: Climate Justice Policy Adviser at ActionAid Netherlands
- Hamdi Benslama: EU Advocacy Advisor at ActionAid International
- Jessica Siviero: Climate Justice Specialist at ActionAid Brazil
- Norwu Harris: Program Coordinator at ActionAid Liberia
- Michael Mwansa: Thematic Lead on Climate Justice at ActionAid Zambia
- Jodahi Bezabih Petros: Youth Climate Advocate with the Global Platform
- Maria Alaídes Alves de Sousa: General Coordinator of the Interstate Movement of Babassu Coconut Breakers
Brief Bios
Teresa Anderson is ActionAid International’s Global Lead on Climate Justice. Teresa is the head of the delegation and lead spokesperson at COP30. She leads ActionAid’s climate policy work on just transition, climate finance, agriculture, land, net zero and loss & damage. She is working group coordinator for Climate Action Network (CAN’s) agriculture working group, and lead author on the recent report “Climate Finance for Just Transition: How the Finance Flows.” She will be analyzing outcomes from the negotiations at COP30 and is available for interview throughout the talks.
You can follow Teresa on X and Bluesky: @1TeresaAnderson @1teresaanderson.bsky.social
Brandon Wu is the Director of Policy and Campaigns for ActionAid USA; he has been closely following climate negotiations since 2012. Brandon is an expert on climate finance and fairness and equity globally, with a recent focus on the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund. He is a current board member of the US Climate Action Network, a former board member of Climate Action Network-International, and was the elected civil society representative on the Green Climate Fund board during its formative years from 2013-2015.
You can follow Brandon on Blue Sky and X: @brandoncwu.bsky.social @brandoncwu
Farah Kabir is the Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh. Farah is particularly interested in gender equality when it comes to climate action, having worked with women from the frontlines of the climate crisis for many years. Alongside this, Farah has contributed as the Chair of the Global Board of the Global Network of Disaster Risk Reduction (GNDR) since 2015. She has served on the Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA) Board and as an advisor to the Advisory Group of PDD (Platform of Disaster Displacement). In 2013, she was selected as one of the ‘100 Women on Climate Change’ organized by International Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network.
You can follow Farah on X: @kabirfarah
Fabiana Alves is from Sao Paulo in Brazil, has over ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector, with the past five focused on projects addressing climate change and social rights. She has been closely engaged with the global climate agenda in recent years. At ActionAid, she serves as the Global Campaign Lead, where she leads the Fund Our Future campaign, which calls on private banks to divest from fossil fuels and industrial agriculture, and urges national governments to support a just transition.
Flora Vano is the Country Program Manager for ActionAid Vanuatu, one of the countries most vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. Flora played a critical role in providing leadership to the start-up of Women TokTok Tugeta (WITTT) Forums, a platform and safe space for diverse Ni-Vanuatu women to organise and strategise. Flora has played a lead role in establishing Women Wetem Weta (WWW), which is a network of young women monitoring the weather for early warning and preparedness using mobile phone technology. She has also represented the country in various platforms to bring in Ni-Vanuatu women’s perspectives on both regional and global spaces, including the VCAN (Vanuatu Climate Action Network). At COP30, she is available to speak about the experiences of women in the Pacific battling the climate crisis.
Agnes Schim van der Loeff is the Policy Advisor Climate Justice at ActionAid Netherlands. Her work centres around Just Transition, ensuring that climate policies centre the needs of people and communities, with a special focus on women and the harmful impacts of mining for transitional minerals. She is an active member of the CAN International Just Transition working group as well as the Dutch ‘International Climate Coalition’. In the Netherlands, she also organises the Feminist Climate Academy, a programme for young people to learn to take action for climate justice. At COP30, Agnes will be closely following the Just Transition Work Programme negotiations and can comment particularly on Dutch and EU positions.
Hamdi Benslama is a climate justice expert with a focus on climate finance and the role of the European Union in international climate finance. He has been following the EU’s internal policies on climate finance and engagement in the UNFCCC. His expertise on climate is part of a broader interest in the EU’s external policies and its role in global governance. He has worked in the European Parliament and in a European Delegation in Asia. He is based in Brussels and speaks French and English.
Jessica Siviero is a Climate Justice Specialist at ActionAid Brazil. Her professional career is devoted to research and activism for land and socio-environmental rights. Her climate work is mainly focused on climate finance, sustainability, and environmental and land policies. At COP30, she is available to speak about Brazil’s climate policy and experiences of frontline coconut breaker communities threatened by industrial agriculture expansion. Jessica also represents ActionAid Brazil in the National Agroecology Network (ANA).
Michael Mwansa is a climate and human rights activist with over 15 years of experience in activism, climate policy, advocacy, and development. At ActionAid Zambia, he has led high-level policy analyses on nationally determined contributions, climate finance, debt, taxation, agroecology, and smallholder farmers’ rights, among others. Michael has authored leading policy publications on extractives and human rights’ protection, domestic resource mobilisation for climate finance, just transition, human rights and business, and climate justice for refugees, internally displaced people, youth, children, women, and minority rights.
Norwu Harris is a climate justice expert, a dedicated feminist, and a human rights defender with over 15 years of transformative leadership in social justice, gender equity, and community-driven development. As the Youth and Climate Justice Program Coordinator at ActionAid Liberia, Norwu champions the fight for systemic change in climate policy, feminist just transition, economic justice, and gender-responsive public services. Her work spans climate-induced disaster response, energy justice, and rights-based approaches that centre women and youth as critical agents of change. Norwu has worked with women and youth, especially smallholder farmers and local entrepreneurs, to co-create sustainable grassroots climate solutions, from agroecology and local energy alternatives to bold advocacy campaigns.
Jodahi Bezabih Petros is an Ethiopian environmental advocate and researcher currently serving as the Research and Policy Director at Enfluencers, a youth-led organisation advancing environmental education, advocacy, and public participation in climate policy. He has previously represented Ethiopian youth at COP23, COP27, and COP28, and co-led the Second African Youth Climate Assembly, an official youth pre-summit for the Africa Climate Summit, which produced a landmark Youth Declaration on Climate Governance. Jodahi has been working with ActionAid Ethiopia to advance youth-focused climate justice policy influencing through the global platforms. At COP30, he is available to speak about African youth’s experiences with the climate crisis.
Partner spokespeople available
Maria Alaídes Alves de Sousa is a babassu coconut breaker and General Coordinator of the Interstate Movement of Babassu Coconut Breakers (MIQCB), the largest women’s movement in Latin America, active across Maranhão, Pará, Piauí, and Tocantins. With over 30 years of activism, she is a key figure in advocating for the territorial and social rights of women in the extractive industry, focusing on gender, environmental, and climate justice. Available for interviews in Portuguese; English only by email, or with support from a translator.