Nations Wrap Up Bonn Talks with Pledge to Boost UN Climate Budget by 10%

Countries, including China, have agreed to increase their funding to the United Nations climate body, but according to observers, progress on several other key issues at the Bonn intersessional talks was mixed and inconsistent.

The Bonn meetings brought together around 5,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries. Their mission was to prepare the groundwork for the upcoming COP30 summit, scheduled for November in Brazil. The negotiations wrapped up late on Thursday, 26 June, following a rocky start marred by disputes over the event’s agenda.

Despite the friction, delegates managed to reach an agreement on raising the UN climate body’s budget by 10% over the next two years. This funding, which mostly comes from national governments, will now total $81.5 million.

China is set to shoulder 20% of this new budget, up from its previous 15% contribution. In contrast, the United States, having pulled out of the Paris Agreement under former President Donald Trump, is no longer contributing federal funds. However, the country will still account for 22% of the new budget, thanks to Bloomberg Philanthropies stepping in to cover the bill. No official representatives from the US federal government participated in the Bonn talks.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell called the funding increase “a clear signal that governments continue to see UN-led climate cooperation as essential, even in difficult times.”

There was also some progress on adaptation. Nations agreed on how to measure advancements in climate adaptation efforts and how to assess the credibility of national adaptation targets, an important step in turning promises into action.

However, not everything moved forward smoothly.

Early tensions flared when emerging and developing nations pushed for faster access to climate finance from wealthier countries. They also pressed for more concrete plans on how this funding would scale over time.

The annual Bonn intersessional is meant to refine the agenda for the next COP summit. COP30, set to take place in Belém, Brazil, will be a critical moment to gauge global climate progress. At last year’s summit, high-income nations committed to mobilising $300 billion per year by 2035 for climate adaptation and low-carbon initiatives in lower-income countries. This goal is meant to replace the previous $100 billion annual commitment made back in 2009, which was only fully met in 2022, years later than promised.

While wealthy nations, including those in the EU, are advocating for private and philanthropic investment to play a bigger role in meeting the new $300 billion target, many developing nations are sceptical. They argue that relying too heavily on non-state actors could weaken accountability and transparency.

In the run-up to COP30, countries have been asked to submit revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that extend through 2035. However, this too became a sticking point.

Camila Jardim, international politics specialist at Greenpeace Brazil, noted that NDCs “became a new taboo” in Bonn. Talks reached a standstill, with countries unable to agree on how to update their emissions-cutting commitments.

But Jardim remains hopeful: “Amid challenging times, this is a great opportunity for Brazilian climate leadership to emerge…2035 NDCs and bridging the 1.5°C ambition gap is the make-or-break for COP30.”

The director of the World Resources Institute’s international climate initiative, David Waskow, added: “Persistent political tensions and competing agendas led to limited and uneven progress in Bonn.

“With four months to go before COP30, leaders need to start delivering: they need to put forward strong national plans to cut emissions and transform key sectors; scale up climate finance from all sources; and urgently implement and mainstream adaptation and resilience to protect lives, economies, and security. With the 1.5°C window closing fast, every fraction of a degree — and every decision — matters.”

“Moving forward requires bold, system-wide change across every sector, driven by all levels of government, business, and civil society, recommitting to the Paris Agreement — together.”