For the first time in the history of the UNFCCC, core negotiation documents related to Just Transition, the Gender Action Plan (GAP), and the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) were approved at a Conference of the Parties (COP30), in Belém, with explicit references to people of African descent. The reference also appears in the COP30 Presidency’s political document, known as Mutirão. This milestone reflects the work of a dedicated task force committed to structural transformation, coordinated by Geledés – Black Woman’s Institute, Afro-descendant organizations, and the Brazilian State.
Geledés underscores that this recognition remains essential for the guarantee of rights. In an international landscape where many States still ignore — or deliberately avoid confronting — the structural roots of racism, particularly in multilateral spaces, Brazil’s leadership becomes even more significant.
Geledés was present at ECO92 and resumed its advocacy efforts for the inclusion of references to Afro-descendants in UNFCCC negotiation documents at COP28 in Dubai. Their incorporation into the texts on Just Transition, the Gender Action Plan, and Adaptation therefore represents a historic breakthrough in international climate policy. Afro-descendant populations across the global diaspora are among those most severely affected by the climate crisis and, at the same time, are at the forefront of solutions, knowledge systems, and resilience practices in their territories.
According to the UN Working Group of Experts, the global Afro-descendant population comprises around 200 million people, descendants of the victims of the transatlantic and Mediterranean trafficking of enslaved persons. Brazil is home to the largest Afro-descendant population outside the African continent: more than 56% of its national population, approximately 120 million people (IBGE, 2022).
The recognition of Afro-descendants in UNFCCC documents paves the way for climate policies that are fairer, more effective, and rooted in the realities of territories historically affected by structural inequalities. This is not a symbolic gesture: the explicit presence of Afro-descendants in these agreements ensures visibility, guides the allocation of financing, strengthens participation, and helps correct longstanding gaps in global climate governance.
We celebrate the Brazilian negotiators for standing firm in the demands of the Black movement regarding these references, and civil society for maintaining a strong stance to secure an important step in combating environmental racism. There is still much work ahead — including gaps in financing, deforestation, and the phase-out of fossil fuels — but this recognition gives us a pathway to act as protagonists in this agenda.
GENDER ACTION PLAN
“Geledés – Black Woman’s Institute regards as historic and crucial for international climate policy the inclusion of women of African descent in the final text of the Gender Action Plan at COP30. This points to an essential direction for ensuring gender equality and mainstreaming across UNFCCC agendas and processes.
We recognize that the text is not perfect and that improvements will be needed during implementation. Most importantly, we acknowledge the role of organized civil society and the organizations that worked collectively, participated in every dialogue, submitted recommendations, engaged in political coordination, and put in the hard work. Afro-descendant women and girls are on the front lines of environmental impacts — from unpaid care work to economic and social vulnerabilities.
References to Afro-descendant women are fundamental to ensuring greater participation, recognition, and the effective guarantee of rights. The approved plan signals a new era for human rights within the UNFCCC.”
ADAPTATION – GLOBAL GOAL ON ADAPTATION INDICATORS
“The text of the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) includes, for the first time, recognition of Afro-descendants and the importance of disaggregating data by race, gender, and other intersectional factors. This outcome gives us the ability to demand adaptation policies that prioritize those who are truly most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and who require resources and institutional capacities now. Recognizing Afro-descendants means acknowledging that gender, race, and territory, in an intersectional manner, shape exposure and adaptive capacity in the climate crisis. Without this, adaptation indicators risk becoming generic and ‘global’ only on paper — blind to the deepest inequalities.
Geledés recognizes that much work remains to make these indicators feasible from a global perspective while also responsive to local needs. Nevertheless, we now have the structures required for this effort, as well as the initial signal of prioritized adaptation financing in the “Mutirão” text, which acknowledges the need to triple adaptation funding — though without specifying access quality or targeted allocation. Strengthening the agenda on National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) will allow us to build the necessary ambition, which cannot wait two years to begin. Action must start now, with the legitimate commitment of countries to repair inequalities as adaptation policies advance.”
“Geledés recognizes that some inconsistencies in the adaptation text will need to be resolved in Bonn (2026) with regard to the Addis–Belém two-year political alignment vision and the technical work assigned to the UNFCCC Secretariat. We have a roadmap for implementation, but there is still no global agreement guiding the technical robustness of the indicators for countries — a crucial step. We currently see indicators written in language that is more political than technical, which delays implementation until the technical guidance is approved, and we will need to advocate strongly for its adoption in 2026.