COP30 Climate Champion: “Six Months After Belém, the Proof of Climate Progress Is in the Numbers”

The following remarks were delivered by Dan Ioschpe, COP30 Climate High-Level Champion at the public event, ‘The Global Climate Action Agenda: Proof of Progress’ during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany on Wednesday 10 June 2026.

Excellencies, colleagues, partners, Party representatives:

When we collectively developed the five-year vision for the unified Global Climate Action Agenda at COP30, the question on a lot of people's minds was whether the architecture would continue from COP to COP, as intended, and would it help speed implementation. Today, I think we can reflect quite positively on both of those factors.

I want to thank the COP31 Presidency. They have made it clear that they view the existing structure of the Action Agenda as highly valuable. They are taking this framework forward – building on it, elevating it, and integrating specific elements of the Action Agenda’s six thematic axes directly into their upcoming priorities and flagship initiatives.

We have laid the foundation for a predictable, multi-year engine of delivery and accountability, and I look forward to building on that together with you this year, and over the next five years.

Climate progress doesn't stop when COP ends; it works 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. There are nearly 500 climate initiatives under the Action Agenda.

Together, they are working to advance the 120 Plans to Accelerate Solutions (PAS) that were launched at COP30 last year. These are practical, time-bound sector roadmaps tackling everything from sustainable aviation fuels and green steel to halting deforestation. These plans map out how to dismantle the regulatory, financial, and technical barriers holding key industries back.

Proof of Climate Progress

Six months out from Belém, we are seeing powerful progress updates across the core initiatives in the Action Agenda. I want to highlight a few topline milestones that I’ve been excited to see:

First on Axis 1, Transitioning Energy Industry and Transport:

The e-Dutra corridor is exploding in scale. This is Brazil’s 800-kilometer zero-emissions freight corridor connecting Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Since COP30, 23 new major freight and transport organizations have joined the coalition, including from the food, industry, and finance sectors. Operationally, the first electric truck journey along the 800-kilometer corridor was completed, while freight forwarders are already running active electric freight routes.

We’re also seeing some really exciting trends in industry, despite a turbulent year. Data from the Industrial Transition Accelerator’s newly published Global Project Tracker shows that 19 commercial-scale sustainable industrial projects worth USD 43 billion reached final investment decisions in the last six months. This is more than double the pace of last year. The tracker now records 161 sustainable industrial plants operating or under construction, with a global pipeline representing a USD 4.7 trillion dollar investment opportunity.

On Axis 2 on Stewarding Oceans, Forests and Biodiversity:

Last week, Luxembourg officially joined the Tropical Forest Forever Facility as a vital solution to protect tropical ecosystems around the world. Since COP30, the TFFF has secured formal endorsement from over 60 countries.

Meanwhile, Eco Invest in Brazil has mobilised over USD 20 billion, with its latest auctions focused on sustainable fuels, bioeconomy, sustainable tourism, and Amazon infrastructure. The InterAmerican Development Bank has developed a case study on this model because other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean want to replicate it.

On Axis 3 on Transforming Agriculture and Food Systems

The Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes launched its second Country Landscape Accelerator in India just a couple of months ago. This is part of a coalition mobilising $9 billion by 2030 to advance regenerative farming across 110 countries.

On Axis 4 on Building Resilience for Cities, Infrastructure and Water

Thirty new cities have joined Beat the Heat’s cooling drive since COP30. Thanks to the Cool Cities Lab, participating cities – including Boston, Buenos Aires, Durban, Nairobi, and Rio de Janeiro – now have free access to an urban heat platform to assess climate risks and scale up cooling solutions.

Axis 5 focuses on fostering human and social development, along with a heavy focus on job training.

These principles are embedded throughout the Action Agenda.

Right now, one of the top barriers to scaling sustainable public transport worldwide is a lack of skilled workers. At COP30, through its Plan to Accelerate Solutions, the International Association of Public Transport pledged to double training levels for public transport professionals. The target is training 2000 transport professionals a year, with a goal of reaching 20,000. Since COP30, they have already trained over 500 transport professionals across Latin America and the Caribbean.

On Axis 6 which covers the enablers of finance, technology and capacity building:

The Action Agenda targeted fragmented carbon accounting as a critical barrier to climate action. Through Activation Group 23, the ISO–GHG Protocol partnership launched the most ambitious harmonization pathway yet. This initiative combines massive global reach: ISO’s network of national standards bodies across more than 170 countries, paired with the GHG Protocol’s adoption by 97% of S&P 500 companies.

As we look toward the future, Action Agenda partners are also directly shaping the global climate architecture.

This includes contributing critical inputs into the COP30 Presidencies' Just Transition from Fossil Fuels, Halting and Reversing Deforestation Roadmaps, and the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap.

A Better Ending

In Brazil, there is a word for what we are doing here today: mutirão. It means a collective mobilization.

It’s the spirit of an entire community rolling up their sleeves and working together to build something that no single person could achieve alone.

Today, we celebrate a unified continuous Global Climate Action Agenda that is fostering sustainable socio-economic development around the world.

With the collective update of the Action Agenda architecture at COP30, we are working with our many partners across the Marrakech Partnership to directly support the goals of the Global Stocktake and the Paris Agreement.

As the data shows today, I think it is safe to say we have really entered the era of implementation.The architecture is holding, the momentum is building, and the work is being scaled globally.

Let’s keep our sleeves rolled up. Let’s bring this mutirão to life, push the Action Agenda to its highest potential, and deliver the future we promised.

Thank you.