ActionAid urges governments to prioritise people, as it prepares to lobby for a just transition mechanism at COP30

ActionAid - which supports communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis – is joining with other climate organisations at COP30 to demand governments agree to climate action that prioritises people and takes a just transition approach. 

It says the current approach is systematically ignoring Global South communities, with new research by the charity revealing less than three percent of climate finance is supporting just transition approaches that prioritise the needs of workers, women and communities when tackling the climate crisis*. 

Teresa Anderson, Global Lead for Climate Justice at ActionAid International, said: “Climate action might be taking place, but the needs of people at the heart of these transitions are being ignored, and communities are being left out of decisions that acutely impact them.  

“None of us can hide from the fact that the climate crisis is escalating year on year. What we need to see from governments is a commitment to move away from fossils fuels and industrial agriculture and towards renewables and agroecology but not at the expense of people’s lives and livelihoods. Cutting emissions shouldn’t mean cutting corners.” 

ActionAid is calling for COP30 negotiations in Belém, Brazil to agree to coordinate just transition globally. A ‘Belém Action Mechanism’ would ensure a global approach to coordination, shared learning and support for implementation on just transition. This is essential so that local people can shape plans that might affect them, and get the support, new job opportunities or training they need to ensure climate action benefits them and doesn’t accidentally push them into poverty.  

Anderson added: “Without a just transition plan – we don’t have a robust, global approach to the problem and the situation is haphazard and disorganised.” 

Alongside this demand, ActionAid is urging wealthy polluting countries to do their fair share and provide trillions of dollars in grant-based climate finance each year to Global South countries. 

Anderson said: “Disappointingly, last year’s COP29 in Baku didn’t deliver the climate finance that the world needs to properly tackle the global crisis. We’re another year on and the situation is desperate. Why can’t governments see that the more finance is pushed in the form of loans, the further vulnerable countries are being pushed into debt?” 

ENDS 

Notes to editors 

Contact the press office at media-enquiries@actionaid.org or on +263776665065 or +44 7592 302293 to arrange an interview. 

*ActionAid's new report, Climate Finance for Just Transition: How the finance flows, was released on the eve of COP30 and analyses multilateral climate finance supporting just transition approaches. 

ActionAid Spokespeople at COP 

1. Teresa Anderson: Global Climate Justice Lead at ActionAid International, she is the head of Delegation and lead spokesperson at COP30
2. Flora Vano: Country Program Manager for ActionAid Vanuatu
3. Fabiana Alves: Global Campaigns Lead at ActionAid International
4. Farah Kabir: Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh 
5. Faides TembaTemba: Country Director of ActionAid Zambia
6. Brandon Wu: Senior Policy Analyst at ActionAid USA (available in week 2)
7. Agnes Schim van der Loef: Climate Justice Policy Adviser at ActionAid Netherlands
8. Hamdi Benslama: EU Advocacy Advisor at ActionAid International
9. Jessica Siviero: Climate Justice Specialist at ActionAid Brazil
10. Norwu Harris: Program Coordinator at ActionAid Liberia
11. Michael Mwansa: Thematic Lead on Climate Justice at ActionAid Zambia 
12. Jodahi Bezabih Petros: Youth Climate Advocate with the Global Platform 
13. Maria Alaídes Alves de Sousa: General Coordinator of the Interstate Movement of Babassu Coconut Breakers 

Brief Bios 

Teresa Anderson is ActionAid International’s Global Lead on Climate Justice. Teresa is the head of the delegation and lead spokesperson at COP30. She leads ActionAid's climate policy work on just transition, climate finance, agriculture, land, net zero and loss & damage. She is working group coordinator for Climate Action Network (CAN's) agriculture working group, and lead author on the recent report “Climate Finance for Just Transition: How the Finance Flows”. She will be analysing outcomes from the negotiations at COP30 and is available for interview throughout the talks.   

You can follow Teresa on X and Bluesky: @1TeresaAnderson @1teresaanderson.bsky.social 

Flora Vano is the Country Program Manager for ActionAid Vanuatu, one of the countries most vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. Flora played a critical role in providing leadership to the start-up of Women TokTok Tugeta (WITTT) Forums, a platform and safe space for diverse Ni-Vanuatu women to organise and strategise.  Flora has played a lead role in establishing Women Wetem Weta (WWW) which is a network of young women monitoring the weather for early warning and preparedness using mobile phone technology. She has also represented the country in various platforms to bring in Ni-Vanuatu women’s perspectives on both regional and global spaces, including the VCAN (Vanuatu Climate Action Network).  At COP30, she is available to speak about the experiences of women in the Pacific battling the climate crisis. 

Fabiana Alves is from Sao Paulo in Brazil, has over ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector, with the past five focused on projects addressing climate change and social rights. She has been closely engaged with the global climate agenda in recent years. At ActionAid, she serves as the Global Campaign Lead, where she leads the Fund Our Future campaign, which calls on private banks to divest from fossil fuels and industrial agriculture, and urges national governments to support a just transition. 

Farah Kabir is the Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh. Farah is particularly interested in gender equality when it comes to climate action, having worked with women from the frontlines of the climate crisis for many years.  Alongside this, Farah has contributed as the Chair of the Global Board of the Global Network of Disaster Risk Reduction (GNDR) since 2015. She has served on the Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA) Board and as an advisor of the Advisory Group of PDD (Platform of Disaster Displacement). In 2013, she was selected as one of the ‘100 Women on Climate Change’ organized by International Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network.  

You can follow Farah on X: @kabirfarah.   

Brandon Wu is the Director of Policy and Campaigns for ActionAid USA; he has been closely following climate negotiations since 2012. Brandon is an expert on climate finance and fairness and equity globally, with a recent focus on the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund. He is a current board member of the US Climate Action Network, a former board member of Climate Action Network-International and was the elected civil society representative on the Green Climate Fund board during its formative years from 2013-2015. 

You can follow Brandon on X: @brandoncwu.  

Agnes Schim van der Loeff is the Policy Advisor Climate Justice at ActionAid Netherlands. Her work centres around Just Transition, ensuring that climate policies centre the needs of people and communities, with a special focus on women and the harmful impacts of mining for transitional minerals. She is an active member of the CAN International Just Transition working group as well as the Dutch ‘International Climate Coalition’. In the Netherlands, she also organises the Feminist Climate Academy, a programme for young people to learn to take action for climate justice. At COP30, Agnes will be closely following the Just Transition Work Programme negotiations and can comment particularly on Dutch and EU positions. 

Hamdi Benslama is a climate justice expert with a focus on climate finance and the role of the European Union in international climate finance. He has been following the EU's internal policies on climate finance and engagement in the UNFCCC. His expertise on climate is part of a broader interest in the EU's external policies and its role in global governance. He has worked in the European Parliament and in a European Delegation in Asia. He is based in Brussels and speaks French and English. 

Jessica Siviero is a Climate Justice Specialist at ActionAid Brazil. Her professional career is devoted to research and activism for land and socio-environmental rights. Her climate work is mainly focused on climate finance, sustainability, and environmental and land policies. At COP30, she is available to speak about Brazil’s climate policy and experiences of frontline coconut breaker communities threatened by industrial agriculture expansion. Jessica also represents ActionAid Brazil in the National Agroecology Network (ANA). 

Michael Mwansa is a climate and human rights activist with over 15 years of experience in activism, climate policy, advocacy, and development. At ActionAid Zambia, he has led high-level policy analyses on nationally determined contributions, climate finance, debt, taxation, agroecology, and smallholder farmers' rights, among others. Michael has authored leading policy publications on extractives and human rights’ protection, domestic resource mobilisation for climate finance, just transition, human rights and business, and climate justice for refugees, internally displaced people, youth, children, women, and minority rights.   

Norwu Harris is a climate justice expert, a dedicated feminist, and a human rights defender with over 15 years of transformative leadership in social justice, gender equity, and community-driven development. As the Youth and Climate Justice Program Coordinator at ActionAid Liberia, Norwu champions the fight for systemic change in climate policy, feminist just transition, economic justice, and gender-responsive public services. Her work spans climate-induced disaster response, energy justice, and rights-based approaches that centre women and youth as critical agents of change. Norwu has worked with women and youth, especially smallholder farmers and local entrepreneurs, to co-create sustainable grassroots climate solutions, from agroecology and local energy alternatives to bold advocacy campaigns.   

Jodahi Bezabih Petros is an Ethiopian environmental advocate and researcher currently serving as the Research and Policy Director at Enfluencers, a youth-led organisation advancing environmental education, advocacy, and public participation in climate policy. He has previously represented Ethiopian youth at COP23, COP27, and COP28, and co-led the Second African Youth Climate Assembly, an official youth pre-summit for the Africa Climate Summit, which produced a landmark Youth Declaration on Climate Governance.  Jodahi has been working with ActionAid Ethiopia to advance youth focus climate justice policy influencing through the global platforms. At COP30, he is available to speak about African youth’s experiences with the climate crisis. 

Partner spokespeople available 

Maria Alaídes Alves de Sousa is a babassu coconut breaker and General Coordinator of the Interstate Movement of Babassu Coconut Breakers (MIQCB), the largest women’s movement in Latin America, active across Maranhão, Pará, Piauí, and Tocantins. With over 30 years of activism, she is a key figure in advocating for the territorial and social rights of women in the extractive industry, focusing on gender, environmental, and climate justice. Available for interviews in Portuguese; English only by email, or with support from a translator. 

About ActionAid        

ActionAid is a global federation working for a world free from poverty and injustice. We want to see a just, fair and sustainable world in which everybody enjoys the right to a life of dignity and freedom from poverty and oppression.  We work to achieve social justice and gender equality, and to eradicate poverty.