COP30: WWF pushes for bold ‘Belém Package’ to safeguard Africa’s climate future.

Marking a decade since the signing of the Paris Agreement, WWF says that while global climate action has expanded in scope, the pace remains dangerously slow, leaving Africa exposed to intensifying climate shocks including droughts, floods, food insecurity and displacement.

“Africa is bringing solutions to the table – now COP30 must respond with fair finance and concrete implementation,” Durrel Halleson, Head of Policy and Partnerships for WWF Africa, said in a statement.

According to the organisation, Africa holds some of the world’s most powerful levers for global climate stability — from the vast Congo Basin tropical forests, to immense renewable energy potential, resilient community-based food systems, and deep-rooted traditions of environmental stewardship. Yet the continent remains severely under-resourced for both adaptation and transition.

To push its advocacy forward, WWF has tabled four core demands at COP30. It said governments should adopt the next round of national climate plans, known as NDCs 3.0, which must be science-based, economy-wide, nature-positive, and backed by realistic implementation strategies.

In addition, WWF supported the Baku–Belém roadmap, calling for the mobilisation of at least $1.3 trillion annually, including a doubling of adaptation finance and full capitalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund.

The organisation stressed the need to rapidly expand decentralised renewable energy, strengthen power grids, and ensure universal access to clean cooking and electricity by 2030, while protecting biodiversity and community rights in the development of critical minerals.

Meanwhile, WWF said COP30 must drive the adoption of measurable indicators under the Global Goal on Adaptation, accelerate the implementation of National Adaptation Plans, and prioritise ecosystem-based and community-led resilience strategies.

Congo Basin takes centre stage

WWF highlighted the Congo Basin—the world’s second largest tropical rainforest—as a global climate stabiliser that absorbs carbon, regulates rainfall patterns across Africa, and sustains millions of livelihoods. Yet, it remains grossly underfunded.

According to the Regional Director for the Congo Basin, Laurent Some, protecting the Congo Basin is non-negotiable if the world is serious about limiting warming to 1.5°C.

The organisation thus called for dedicated financing, high-integrity forest-carbon partnerships, and equitable benefit-sharing with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, IPLCs, who have traditionally safeguarded the forests.

They have insisted that climate justice must guide outcomes in Belém. This includes securing land rights, ensuring direct access to climate finance for communities, and guaranteeing transparent, fair carbon markets that deliver real benefits to people and nature. 

“Belém must be the moment we replace incrementalism with implementation,” Halleson said. 

“With clear finance, stronger NDCs, and nature-positive action, COP30 can deliver a resilient and equitable future — for Africa and for all,” he added. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3622 of Wednesday November 12, 2025