LIVE BLOG: SB64, Bonn
SB64 commenced in Bonn, Germany, on June 8, 2026
Welcome to our daily blog for SB64
For the next two weeks, climate negotiators meeting in Bonn, Germany, will pore over various issues to define the agenda for COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, in November.
In this blog, Power Shift Africa will track negotiations, highlight the contentions, and analyse outcomes and their implications for climate justice.
The blog will be updated daily.
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The Bonn Climate Conference began today in Bonn, Germany, with a host of issues on the table for the negotiators.
The outcomes of this mid-year climate summit, also called the meeting of subsidiary bodies, set the tone and themes for the Conference of the Parties (COP) later in the year.
Opening Plenary
The Bonn conference began with a rousing speech by the UN climate chief, Simon Stiell, who reminded the world that the climate fight is worthy and inevitable.
‘‘Tackling the global climate crisis is the hardest, but most important thing humanity has ever tried to do together,’’ Stiell told the delegates.
‘‘We have no choice. Every economy and population depends on it,’’ the executive said, and called on the Parties to advance work on key negotiation issues.
Urgency without action
During the ceremony, the Chair of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), Nana Dr Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, called on the negotiators to advance discussions on COP30 outcomes, including GGA indicators, just transition, and climate finance.
Highlighting growing climate impacts on the continent, Dr Antwi challenged the conference for omitting some of Africa’s priorities in the agenda.
‘‘In a process claiming urgency, we do not have agenda items on Loss and Damage or National Adaptation Plans,’’ pointed the AGN Chair.
A shrinking civic space
The start of the conference wasn’t without incident.
Earlier in the day, it emerged that Climate Action Network (CAN International) would not hold all its daily press conferences during the summit. CAN International has been allocated five slots for the two weeks.
Power Shift Africa Director, Mohamed Adow, called the decision troubling.
‘‘Civil society doesn’t just attend these talks. We hold them to account,’’ said Adow.
He warned: ‘‘Restricting our ability to communicate with the outside world doesn’t just affect CAN — it affects every community we represent.’’
CAN International is an umbrella body for more than 2500 civil society organisations that champion climate justice around the world.
What to know about SB64
Here’s a breakdown of the issues under consideration:
JUST TRANSITION
The Just Transition Mechanism was agreed at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, hence its official name ‘‘Belem Action Mechanism’’. In Bonn, delegates will begin discussions on its design and operationalisation.
Negotiators will discuss ways in which the BAM can build on existing initiatives and institutions. At the same time, they will attempt to address practical barriers for equitable transitions in vulnerable countries.
CLIMATE FINANCE
At last year’s COP30 in Brazil, Parties agreed to launch a new work programme on climate finance. The work programme will meet for the first time at SB64.
Among the issues to be discussed under the work programme is Article 9 of the Paris Agreement. The article establishes a binding obligation for developed countries to provide financial resources to assist developing nations with mitigation measures and adaptation actions.
The date and structure of this discussion are, however, yet to be refined.
As part of their demands, developing countries have been asking for equitable distribution between mitigation and adaptation finance. This finance, they insist, must be adequate, transparent, and predictable.
ADAPTATION
At COP30, Parties agreed on 59 GGA indicators. SB64 is expected to refine these indicators, which are metrics for measuring progress in adaptation. These indicators help countries measure and track resilience.
In Bonn, Parties will aim to translate political goals into concrete technical outcomes. Discussions will also seek to track international provision of adaptation finance and support.
UNILATERAL TRADE MEASURES
These measures include the European Union’s contentious Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
Developing countries oppose the transfer of costs and burdens to them by developed nations. They want Bonn to recognise and address these structural inequities, barriers, and costs of climate action.
Developing countries are also demanding the alignment of processes and bodies governing trade, including the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
ROAD TO ANTALYA
The road to COP31 is firmly on course. What happens in Bonn will determine how the world responds to the climate crisis. Bonn must place frontline communities at the centre of negotiations. It must also inspire ambition and cooperation and deliver finance.