Least-Developed Nations Accuse COP30 of Foot-Dragging and Demand Major Climate Finance Boost

At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, a coalition of 44 least-developed countries sharply criticised the slow pace of UN climate negotiations, saying the talks deliver too little while the climate crisis destroys livelihoods and costs lives.

“We meet, we speak, we discuss, we promise. We postpone, and then wait again,”

said Evans Njewa, a diplomat from Malawi, speaking at the conference’s first plenary session.

Njewa reiterated a demand made by dozens of developing states that wealthy, industrialised nations must triple public climate assistance to at least $120 billion a year by 2030 to help vulnerable countries adapt to the deadly impacts of global warming. He spoke on behalf of a group of 44 countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, describing everyday struggles such as women walking long distances to fetch water and farmers losing harvests season after season.

Needs far exceed current funding

An Indian climate diplomat also invoked the legal responsibilities established under the 2015 Paris Agreement, reminding wealthier countries of their obligation to provide climate finance to developing nations. She cited a recent UN analysis showing that developing countries will require at least $310 billion a year through 2035 — roughly 12 times current international public funding — to meet adaptation and resilience needs.

Speaking for the Group of 77 (which includes China under the UN’s current classification of developing countries), Iraq called for a significant ramp-up in climate assistance from industrialised nations. A Tanzanian representative, speaking for African states, urged COP30 to deliver financing mechanisms that are voluntary, predictable and easily accessible for vulnerable countries.

EU says it is already a major donor

A Danish diplomat representing the European Union noted that the EU, its member states and the European Investment Bank are the largest providers of public climate finance. She said the EU delivered €31.8 billion (about $36.9 billion) in 2024 and mobilised an additional €11 billion in private funding to support developing countries. The EU delegate also reiterated support for last year’s target that industrialised countries should provide at least $300 billion a year in climate finance by 2035.

The exchanges at COP30 underscore the widening gap between the finance developing countries say they need to adapt to a warming world and the sums currently committed — a gap that negotiators must address if the conference is to produce meaningful results for the most vulnerable nations.