Ahead of Türkiye's hosting of COP31 in November, the Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB64) was held in Germany from 8 to 18 June. The conference was expected to consolidate the frameworks developed at COP30 in Brazil in areas such as adaptation, transitioning away from fossil fuels, trade and just transition. However, with one exception, the two-week conference ended with disagreement between developing and developed countries on most issues.
The issues that could not be agreed in Bonn have therefore been left for COP31 to address.
A text outlining the structural functions of the Just Transition Mechanism, formalised at the conference as the Belém-Antalya Mechanism, was finalised.
The mechanism was designed to deliver outcomes in three principal areas: identifying the sectors and geographic regions in which workers are most exposed to the risk of job losses, mobilising international public finance for regional reskilling programmes, and facilitating direct technology transfer to help developing countries expand their clean-energy workforces.
However, failure to reach consensus on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), disagreements over trade measures and the deadlock on transitioning away from fossil fuels clearly exposed differences in national priorities. The central dispute over the GGA concerned the pledge by developed countries to triple global adaptation finance.
Developing countries led by the African Group and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) pressed for this financial commitment to be included in the formal negotiating text, while developed countries categorically rejected the inclusion of finance pledges in formal texts. The result was a complete impasse and a halt to the GGA negotiations. Responsibility for making fresh progress now rests with COP31.
Climate-related trade issues also divide the Global North and Global South. Developing countries argued that unilateral, trade-restrictive climate measures should comply with the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), but developed countries objected.
As with the other agenda items, countries also failed to agree on transitioning away from fossil fuels. Resistance from fossil-fuel-producing countries resulted in extremely limited progress on the emissions-mitigation work programme, and the issue was passed to COP31 unchanged. Fossil-fuel-producing countries including Saudi Arabia and India led the opposition and also resisted references to the 1.5°C target.
Ultimately, the small steps taken in Bonn have increased the need for far greater progress in Antalya.
8 July 2026
