COP30 highlights: Shifting from global pledges to local action

At the UN Climate Summit in Belém (COP30), SNV’s engagement took place amid growing impatience with high-level rhetoric that appears disconnected from practical delivery. This year’s summit echoed a clamour for change, as delegates sought to turn ambitious commitments into tangible outcomes rooted in local realities. 

The high-level Mutirão decision to triple adaptation finance by 2035, though still insufficient to meet growing needs, signalled a clear need to align resources with local priorities. The strong presence of Indigenous leaders, meanwhile, was a powerful reminder that effective climate action must centre those living closest to climate impacts - and those already advancing regenerative agriculture, ecosystem stewardship, and other solutions.  

Yet amid promising moments, many questioned whether COP30 indeed marked a turning point in action, or was simply a continuation of the status quo.

Against this backdrop, SNV and partners focused explicitly on the challenge of implementation, exploring how to translate high-level ambition into equitable and system-wide change, in areas ranging from nutrition to rangeland protection and water security. Through this, we sought to define what locally led, globally backed climate action looks like in practice. 

Explore some of the key moments below. 

One of COP30’s clearest calls was to ensure that climate finance reaches the local actors driving progress in low- and middle-income countries, from smallholder farmers and agri-pastoralists, to Indigenous peoples, who currently receive just 2% of available funds.  

For instance, in collaboration with CA4SH, EDF and IDH, SNV co-hosted Delivering on food system climate finance to explore how financing can become accessible, long term, aligning with national priorities and suited to smallholder needs. Examples such as the  Agri3 Fund, DFCD, IDH Farmfit Fund and One Acre Fund demonstrated scalable models that connect sustainable investments to local realities facing farmers. 

The session also explored barriers limiting finance access, and the need to shift from siloed projects to long-term investment strategies to incentivise climate-smart practices, such as soil health improvement and methane abatement.  

Another key theme was systems integration. Climate action becomes more effective when agriculture, energy and water systems are addressed as interlinked sectors, that face overlapping climate challenges.  

The Resilient futures at the agri-energy nexus session, co-organised with the Power for Food Partnership and the Agri-Energy Coalition, provided a space to exchange practical examples. Partners showcased how decentralised renewable energy can support irrigation, processing and cold storage, boosting productivity and reducing losses for smallholder farmers. 

SNV’s LISTEN project in Kenya, featured in the

Netherlands Food Partnership Food and Biodiversity in Action case study report that was launched during COP30, further demonstrated how integrated approaches produce more sustainable, inclusive outc

Throughout COP30, SNV and partners emphasised that adaptation must be equitable and inclusive.  

A session on Pastoralism, land restoration and just transitions highlighted the critical yet underfunded role of pastoralists, who manage 54% of the world’s land but receive a fraction of adaptation finance.

Examples from the Sahel illustrated that, when given access to finance and inclusive governance support, agri-pastoralist communities, including women leaders, are already championing large-scale land restoration, showing how the concepts of justice and climate action go hand in hand. 

Similarly, Climate and nutrition: Safeguarding traditional food systems, co-hosted with Global Citizen and Mercy Corps, showcased Indigenous and women-led innovations that strengthen food and nutrition security while restoring ecosystems. Alliance Bioversity-CIAT emphasised the role of Indigenous food system science in supporting climate policy development, while GreenFaith Africa demonstrated local solutions by women and youth.   

Throughout the summit, SNV and partners underscored that progress depends on partnerships: among sectors, communities, governments and investors. Through collaborative platforms such as the Action on Food Hub, SNV joined forces with diverse organisations to explore scalable and resilient livelihood solutions. 

As COP30 drew to a close, there was a shared recognition that the climate emergency requires investing in such partnerships and collaborations, along with inclusive finance, and genuine local ownership to turn high-level commitments into progress for communities globally.