As COP30 concluded in Belem without explicit references to a fossil fuel phaseout in the latest draft text, Colombia and the Netherlands announced they will co-host the First International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels in April 2026. The meeting, to be held in the coal-exporting port city of Santa Marta, will focus on designing a global roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels and coordinating the economic, legal and social measures needed to support the shift. The conference will take the issue outside the formal UN COP negotiations.Â
Colombia framed the initiative as a response to mounting pressure from governments, civil society and vulnerable nations for concrete action. More than 80 countries expressed support for a fossil fuel phaseout roadmap during COP30, even as references to the issue were removed from the presidency’s revised decision text. Colombian officials said the effort now extends beyond COP negotiations and reflects a growing consensus among diverse actors. “The fossil fuel phaseout is not only necessary, but inevitable: Governments must address what is happening on the ground and lead the transformation.”
Colombia’s minister of environment Irene Vélez Torres emphasized that communities across the Amazon and other regions have demanded detailed, actionable guidance. “We must leave this COP with a global roadmap that guides our collective efforts to phase out fossil fuels,” she said. She added that the 2026 conference aims to preserve momentum: “We must keep the momentum, lead with bravery, and build a coalition of the willing.”
The Netherlands said the conference will help turn political commitments into concrete plans. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Climate Policy Sophie Hermans said recent developments show that countries can transition away from fossil fuels responsibly. “There is a clear momentum to phase out fossil fuels, and now is the time to capitalize on it. We must begin to materialize what this phase-out could look like,” she said. Dutch officials cited the country’s refinery transitions and the upcoming ban on coal-fired electricity as evidence that structural changes are possible when supported by policy and investment.
The conference is designed as a complementary platform to the UNFCCC, allowing participants to explore technical and political elements that are often constrained by formal negotiations. Organizers expect governments, multilateral lenders, Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, rural organizations, industry representatives, academia and civil society groups to participate. Discussions will cover issues including subsidy reform, macroeconomic stability, diversification of fossil-fuel-dependent regions, trade impacts, energy security, labor transitions and renewable deployment. Colombia said hosting the event in a large coal port signals that fossil fuel–producing nations are willing to transition but must do so through a fair and internationally supported process.
The announcement coincided with the launch of the Belem Declaration on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, endorsed by 24 countries including Australia, Colombia, Denmark, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, Spain, Vanuatu and Tuvalu. The declaration outlines minimum expectations for equitable transition efforts consistent with limiting warming to 1.5–1.7°C and calls for financial and technical cooperation to advance phaseout plans. The initiative follows diplomatic models such as the Ottawa process on land mines and the Oslo conference on cluster munitions, which demonstrated that international coordination outside UN treaty structures can accelerate progress on global risks.
Pacific nations, among those most exposed to climate impacts, welcomed the 2026 conference. Vanuatu’s climate minister Ralph Regenvanu described it as the start of an ongoing process and said Pacific governments plan to explore hosting a subsequent meeting. “Collectively we can build the roadmap for the fossil-free future we need—one that is just, funded and achievable,” he said. Tuvalu’s climate change minister Maina Talia connected the initiative to the campaign for a global Fossil Fuel Treaty and pointed to recent international legal rulings establishing state obligations to address fossil fuel production. “We must ensure that any transition is rooted in equity and justice,” he said. The Marshall Islands noted the breadth of political support for the Belem initiative and argued that countries ready to move ahead should not wait for unanimity. “Some countries are not there yet, but we will not wait—the transition is inevitable,” its representative said.
Environmental groups said the announcement was one of the most meaningful outcomes surrounding COP30. Avril de Torres of the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development said momentum from Global South leadership outside the negotiation halls was the “greatest win out of Belem.” 350.org, a climate organization, echoed this sentiment, calling the Colombia conference “the first stop on the path to a livable future.”