International Climate Policy in Times of Shrinking Budgets
Welthungerhilfe's expectations of the climate negotiations in Bonn, June 2025
The 62nd sessions of the subsidiary bodies (SB62) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place in Bonn from June 16 to 26, 2025. As a technical preparatory meeting for COP30 in Belém (Brazil), this meeting is also of central importance for international climate policy. At a time of growing global crises, shrinking public budgets, and increasing geopolitical tensions, ambitious, implementation-oriented results are more important than ever.
Welthungerhilfe expects SB62 to lay a solid foundation for the preparation of ambitious decisions for COP30. The overlapping crises – including extreme weather events, armed conflicts, trade crises, and the decline in multilateral cooperation – are massively exacerbating global food insecurity. Agriculture and food systems must therefore be integrated more strongly than before into international climate policy. A sustainable transformation of these systems is essential to reduce emissions, advance climate adaptation, and achieve climate justice.
These aspects must be integrated into the work streams to be negotiated in Bonn:
the further development of the Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Implementation of Climate Action on Agriculture and Food Security, the Baku to Belém Roadmap on Climate Finance, the clarification of modalities for the Baku Adaptation Roadmap, and in decisions on the future format of the Just Transition Work Programme. The Loss and Damage Fund, launched in 2023, continues to focus on practical implementation. Finally, Bonn will also address the further development of the structure for the next Global Stocktake (GST).
- The “Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Implementation of Climate Action on Agriculture and Food Security” is a decision of COP27 (November 2022, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt) that emphasizes the central importance of food security and the urgency of combating hunger. At the same time, it points to the high vulnerability of food systems to the impacts of climate change. It recognizes the important role of smallholder farmers and livestock keepers as key actors for change. It acknowledges that solutions must be locally appropriate and based on national circumstances.
- The “Baku to Belém Roadmap to 1.3T” is a work plan currently being developed under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that aims to increase global climate finance to a total of US$1.3 trillion per year by 2035. The name refers to the period between COP29 in Baku (Azerbaijan, November 2024) and COP30 in Belém.
- The “Baku Adaptation Roadmap” (BAR) is also a COP29 initiative that serves as a strategic roadmap for implementing a Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) under the Paris Agreement .
- The “Just Transition Work Programme” is an initiative of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that was launched at COP27 in 2022. Its goal is to make the transition to a climate-neutral world fair and inclusive.
- The further implementation of the Loss and Damage Fund is crucial. It was officially operationalized at COP28 in Dubai (2023) and has since been under technical and financial development. The fund needs more financial commitments and unbureaucratic structures in order to work effectively, fairly, and in a way that is accessible to vulnerable countries.
- The Global Stocktake (GST) is an element of the Paris Climate Agreement and is conducted every five years to assess collective progress in implementing climate goals. The next GST is scheduled for 2028. The conditions for a formal outcome at COP30 must be created in Bonn.
Welthungerhilfe's demands on the German government and other negotiating parties:
1. Ambitious climate protection to meet the 1.5°C target:
Limiting global warming to 1.5°C is non-negotiable. Studies show that even a 2°C rise in temperature threatens severe crop failures in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The German government must commit to ambitious emission reduction plans, phase out fossil fuels, and expand renewable energies. The use of technologies to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere and store it, and unrealistic transformation scenarios (too rapid change) for agriculture must be critically examined. Forest protection and soil carbon sequestration play a central role and require support that recognizes the rights, self-determination, and knowledge of indigenous communities.
2. Expansion of climate finance:
A significant increase and qualitative improvement in climate finance is necessary, especially for adaptation and resilience in rural regions. The minimum target of USD 300 billion per year by 2035 (as agreed in Baku) must not be undermined by cuts in ODA. Vulnerable and fragile states must be guaranteed access to climate finance. Grants must be prioritized over loans in order to avoid debt crises. Local actors and civil society organizations must be given direct access. The Adaptation Fund must be replenished urgently.
3. Effective funding for loss and damage:
It must be ensured that the Loss and Damage Fund provides funds directly and unbureaucratically to affected communities – for example, to compensate for destroyed crops or to restore drinking water supplies and livelihoods. Only when resources reach low-income households can climate justice be achieved for regions affected by hunger.
4. Promote sustainable food systems:
Climate-resilient and environmentally friendly food systems are key to food security and climate protection. This includes climate-adapted farming methods such as agroforestry, measures to combat food loss, and investment in local value chains. Diversifying agriculture increases resilience and protects biodiversity. Food systems that do not harm the climate but protect the environment and ensure food security and thus the right to food must be promoted.
5. Ensure the participation of local communities:
Adaptation measures must be developed in close cooperation with local actors. Welthungerhilfe calls for smallholder farmers, indigenous groups, and local organizations to be actively involved in decision-making processes. Their knowledge and practices are crucial for effective and accepted solutions in the fight against hunger and the climate crisis.
6. Just transition in rural regions:
The transition to climate-resilient and sustainable agricultural and food systems must be socially just. To this end, the expansion of social security systems and new income prospects in rural regions are essential. People whose livelihoods are threatened by structural change must not be left behind – smallholder farmers in particular must not be left behind by no means in the climate protection process.
Welthungerhilfe calls on the German government to actively promote these goals at SB62 and to deliver credible, socially just, and effective results so that the twin challenges of the climate crisis and hunger can be effectively addressed.
