COP30 CEO emphasizes integrating climate action with development and economic growth
Ana Toni urges nations to accelerate ambitious contributions to the Paris Agreement ahead of crucial UN report
By the COP30 Presidency
On Friday, June 13, Ana Toni, the CEO of COP30, attended the Global NDC Conference on its final day in Berlin, Germany. This international forum is dedicated to fostering more ambitious climate targets and accelerating their global implementation. During the conference, Toni emphasized the urgent need for robust national commitments and collective action to address the growing climate crisis.
To date, merely 22 of 195 nations have submitted their updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) — the critical climate targets mandated for revision every five years under the Paris Agreement. Brasil, for its part, submitted its revised NDC in November 2024, pledging to cut net greenhouse gas emissions by 59% to 67% by 2035.
"The encouraging news," she observed, "is that the delay in NDC submissions might indicate a more thorough and detailed process, necessitating discussions across various government sectors. It could also stem from the increased time required to engage with the private sector and civil society, ultimately ensuring these contributions are more implementable," Toni concurrently urged greater urgency in these submissions.
The COP30 CEO stressed the imperative for these commitments to be submitted promptly to inform the synthesis report of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This crucial report is slated for release ahead of COP30, which will convene in November in Belém, Pará, Brasil. The forthcoming document will aggregate the NDCs, illustrating the global community's proximity to achieving the ambitious goal of limiting the average global temperature increase to 1.5°C — a threshold universally deemed critical by scientists.
"We require all NDCs to be on the table," Toni further added, "so that, should a disparity emerge between national contributions and the 1.5°C objective, our leaders can convene to strategize on bridging that gap." NDCs, she emphasized, must reflect each nation's equitable share in fulfilling the Paris Agreement, which was ratified a decade ago. While the world has indeed made considerable strides since then, the pace of progress remains demonstrably insufficient.
"We acknowledge that the decisions ahead are profoundly challenging, and it would be disingenuous to suggest otherwise," she remarked. "Humanity has never before undertaken a transformation of our social and economic systems with the speed and scale that is now imperatively required."
"The fundamental challenge lies in devising strategies to seamlessly integrate climate action with sustained development, economic growth, and the creation of employment opportunities"
— ANA TONI, CEO da COP30
The Global NDC Conference, organized by the German government in collaboration with GIZ, the NDC Partnership, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), convenes a diverse array of stakeholders, including technical specialists, climate experts, researchers, and other key actors integral to the formulation of NDCs.
While in Berlin, COP30 CEO Ana Toni engaged with several key officials: Jo Tyndall, Director of Environment at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Pablo Vieira, Global Director of the NDC Partnership; and Vera Rodenhoff, Deputy Director for International Climate Action and Energy Transition at Germany’s Ministry for Economic Affairs. Their discussions encompassed the ongoing preparations for COP30 and the conference’s forthcoming action agenda, which is anticipated to be unveiled in the coming days.
English version: Trad. Bárbara Menezes
Proofreading by Enrique Villamil