Stiell closes SB62 talks with a blunt warning that the world is falling dangerously short of action, and that the delay is costing lives.

At the SB62 climate talks in Bonn, agriculture negotiations under the Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Agriculture have revealed deep divides over finance, implementation, and transparency. On the last day of the talks, NDIVILE MOKOENA (GenderCC South Africa) and FREDRICK OTIENO (Power Shift Africa) explain why, while parties agreed on draft conclusions and a template for the online portal, key demands from developing nations, especially around funding access, remain unresolved as the programme nears its final phase.

The SB 60’s in 2024 was described by climate experts as a monumental failure, notably because of slow progress and sharp divisions on critical issues such as climate finance. This year’s SB 62 appears to have borrowed the script, if the delayed start to the process is anything to go by.  

At COP28 in Dubai, climate diplomacy had one of its rare feel-good moments. Countries, big and small, rich and poor, walked away declaring victory after agreeing on what became known as the UAE Consensus. At its heart was the conclusion of the first-ever Global Stocktake, the Paris Agreement’s global check-in on how far we’ve come (or not) in cutting emissions, adapting to a warming world, and helping those most at risk. The hope? That this collective climate audit would kick off a fresh wave of green action. The reality? That enthusiasm has since nosedived into a bureaucratic cul-de-sac. What was meant to be a springboard for progress has turned into a diplomatic deadlock stretching from Baku to Bonn.

The first week of negotiations on the Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) at the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) in Bonn unfolded amid high expectations and strategic positioning.

Climate and communication experts meeting at the SB62 climate talks in Bonn have accused fossil fuel companies, certain political figures, governments, paid scientific ‘experts,’ as well as legacy and social media platforms, of leading a campaign of misinformation on climate change

At the AGN Press Conference this morning in Bonn, African Group of Negotiators (AGN) Chair, Dr. Richard Muyungi, laid out Africa’s key priorities for #SB62.

In these opening remarks at a press briefing on critical minerals during  the ongoing SB62 climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany, Power Shift Africa’s Samira Ally argues that Africa’s mineral wealth can accelerate the global shift to net-zero, but only if it is governed for stability, justice and shared prosperity.

SAADA MOHAMED, our Finance expert following the negotiations in Bonn, shares her thoughts on the progress so far, and how the future looks like.

When the United Nation’s 62nd Subsidiary Body meeting (SB62) finally opened in Bonn on Monday, it came riding a tide of tension and urgency.

Live updates: SB 62

As Africa prepares for escalating climate impacts, the incoming African Development Bank (AfDB) president, Sidi Ould Tah, must place quality adaptation finance at the heart of the Bank’s agenda.

With adaptation needs expected to hit $50 billion annually by 2050 and only 3% of global climate finance reaching African countries, Tah inherits a monumental task. However, the path forward is clear: accelerate the AfDB’s leadership on climate change, prioritise grant-based finance for adaptation, and mobilise support for replenishing the African Development Fund.

How celebrated author’s radical novel exposed the ecological costs of colonial capitalism and promoted indigenous relationships with land 

Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago’s second COP30 letter offers an inspiring vision of global solidarity through a “Global Mutirão”, is inclusive on rhetoric and leadership frameworks, and pivots toward action, but the lack of specificity around finance, fossil fuel phase-out, and structural reforms risks undermining its ambitions

How to make the Africa Green Mineral Strategy work  

In Africa, Big Oil enriches the powerful while deepening the poverty of those least responsible for climate change. And among the worst affected are women, the invisible labourers, caregivers, food producers, and water carriers who are forced to bear the burden of environmental degradation and socio-economic exclusion.

East Africa is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change impacts. But what has experts on the edge is the level of debt that the countries now face.

Kenya, the largest economy in East Africa, is facing the highest risk of debt distress among the three East African countries, with borrowings amounting to Sh5.09 trillion as of January 2025.

Being forced to buy new seeds every planting season is one of the burdens that dependence on genetically engineered and exotic seeds places on farmers, especially smallholders.

This is why it’s important for African countries to establish community seed banks: to protect indigenous seeds, uphold farmers’ seed sovereignty, and strengthen resilience against climate shocks and crop loss.

Hunger, malnutrition, obesity, biodiversity loss and declining soil fertility are all symptoms of a deeply unjust and unsustainable food system.

One where power has shifted from farmers and consumers to agribusinesses and corporations.  

Africa’s land governance faces legal uncertainty, tenure insecurity and weak enforcement mechanisms.

Outdated or poorly enforced land laws have led to fragmented tenure systems, creating legal ambiguity.