COP30: Civil society’s call to action

GNDR is the largest network of civil society organisations working on disaster risk reduction, with 2,010 members across 132 countries. This call to action has been co-developed with GNDR members from across the globe. It draws upon findings from membership surveys, inputs from the GNDR Climate Working Group, and consultations with our members. Over 400 civil society member organisations have fed into these call to action messages, sharing how climate change is affecting the communities where they live and work.

COP30, in Belém, Brazil, will predominantly focus on (1) approving the indicators for the Global Goal Adaptation commitment (2) fully operationalising the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) (3) scaling up technical assistance assigned to the Santiago Network (4) recognising the current restriction of financial resources, and (5) reviewing current mitigation commitments from parties. 

In June 2025, the SB62 preparatory meeting for COP30 outlined the aims and objectives of this year’s COP negotiations. During this meeting, the Brazilian ethos of a Global Mutirão was framed as the foundation of COP30’s objectives. This ethos focuses on a community coming together to work on a shared task, whether harvesting, building, or supporting one another.  Here, the COP30 Presidency shared the vision of a COP Global Mutirão – to support and strengthen the global mobilisation against climate change. 

The role of civil society 

Civil society has an important role to play in the climate negotiations. However, it is important to note that COP30 has been particularly challenging for civil society to access because of reduced badges for civil society, high accommodation costs in Belém and limited communications from UNFCCC. 

GNDR recognises the critical role it has to play in demanding space for civil society and championing the lived experience and expertise of those living on the frontline of the climate crisis. In particular, GNDR recognises the value and expertise that community-based organisations have and calls on decision-makers to respect, recognise and incorporate local voice, expertise and knowledge into the negotiation process. 

At the core of our policy demands, we call on decision-makers to adopt a human rights-based approach, prioritise climate justice and demand that the global north uphold their legal responsibilities on loss and damage. 

425 civil society organisations from across the globe have actively engaged in the development of these call-to-action messages. Each spoke to the profound impacts of climate change on the communities where they work and live.

It is important to note that whilst these specific policy messages have been framed to inform the adaptation and loss and damage elements of the climate negotiations, we stand in solidarity with the essential need to recommit to reducing greenhouse gases for mitigation.

We call on member states to act now — with urgency and commitment — to deliver on all five of our call to action policy demands.

GNDR’s call to action messages

1. Listen to local voices and recognise the expertise of local actors 

• Shift the power to local actors
• Include local leaders in decision-making
• Institutionalise and embed local leaders in climate governance
• Ensure grassroots women leaders, indigenous groups and young people are meaningfully included in decision-making
• Recognise and fund the leadership of local communities and civil society organisations in designing and implementing climate solutions. A specific commitment must be made to include and protect (1) indigenous knowledge and (2) smallholder farmers
  

2. Prioritise a just transition and increase resources for adaptation

• We demand that member states recognise their commitments to the right to development, the right to dignity and the right to a safe environment for all. We call for a specific commitment to be made to those who have been displaced by climate change
• Here, again, we demand equitable access to climate finance and request that funding mechanisms are simplified to ensure resources can be channelled directly to grassroots organisations, particularly those working on the frontline of the climate crisis
• This should include operationalising the loss and damage fund immediately and making it accessible to those at the local level, particularly to women leaders, indigenous leaders and marginalised groups
• In addition to this, we demand the diversification of financial support for climate justice. Here, we especially highlight the need to invest in (1) climate-resilient infrastructure, including safe and resilient housing and (2) inclusive early warning systems and anticipatory action
• Lastly, we demand that the global north share technology developed for mitigation and adaptation with the global south. All whilst recognising and protecting indigenous and local knowledge

3. Integrate the DRR Gender Action Plan into the climate negotiations 

• Recognise that disasters disproportionately affect women and marginalised groups because of factors like socioeconomic status, unequal access to resources, and unequal exposure to risk
• We call on member states to ensure all decision-making and action is gender-responsive by ensuring that the unique needs, vulnerabilities, and capacities of both women and men are considered
• We call on decision makers to ensure women’s leadership and empowerment is meaningfully included in the climate negotiations to (1) reduce gender related climate risk, which is exacerbated by social inequalities, and (2) harness the expertise of women leaders
• When women’s knowledge, skills, and leadership are utilised, policy in practice is significantly strengthened 
  

4. Collaborate across borders and leave no one behind 

• As international politics grow ever more tense and global conflict increases, it is essential that we come together to confront the impacts and root causes of climate change — ensuring that no one is left behind
• We call on member states to pay specific attention to those living in conflict-affected countries and those displaced by the climate crisis
• Acknowledge the climate-peace-development nexus and make sure those in fragile and conflict-affected states (FCAS) are included in the loss and damage negotiations and relevant funds
• Clear efforts must be made to understand how those from FCAS can be included at all levels of the climate negotiations
• Ensure those displaced by the climate crisis have equitable access to loss and damage compensation
  

5. Champion nature-based solutions and green technology

• Invest in local green technology and nature-based solutions
• We call on member states to recognise the importance of nature-based solutions and invest in community nature-based solutions for both mitigation and adaptation. For example, the impact of initiatives such as the Great Green Wall and protecting mangrove forests cannot be underestimated and similar actions must be further prioritised across the globe
  

We call on member states, UNFCCC and all stakeholders to integrate these calls to action messages into the discussions and decisions made at the COP30 negotiations. 

GNDR will continue to work to create space for local voices in decision-making on disaster risk reduction. We commit to investing in capturing local knowledge, evidence, expertise and recommendations and amplifying the voice of those living on the frontline of risk.

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For more information on these policy messages or on GNDR’s work, please contact our Head of Policy and Research, Rebecca Murphy: rebecca.murphy[at]gndr.org or our Climate Change Lead, Adessou Kossivi: adessou.kossivi[at]gndr.org