Held at the mouth of the Amazon in Belém, COP30 was billed as a turning point for real climate action. Instead, it delivered a mixed outcome of limited gains, persistent exclusion and a troubling silence on fossil fuels. 

Child Rights International Network (CRIN) reports that children’s rights received greater visibility across several decisions, including the Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) and adaptation discussions. For the first time, detailed references to human rights, children’s rights and intergenerational equity appeared in the operative text of a COP decision — a notable symbolic step forward. 

However, fossil fuels were absent from all final decisions, marking a clear step back from COP28. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence and growing legal clarity — including the International Court of Justice’s recent advisory opinion affirming states’ obligations to prevent climate harm — governments failed to commit to phasing out the primary driver of the climate crisis. Without addressing fossil fuels, promises of a “just transition” risk becoming hollow. 

While 2025 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) show increased recognition of children’s disproportionate vulnerability and participation, overall ambition remains far off track from limiting warming to 1.5°C.  

COP30 also exposed deep flaws in the UN climate process itself, with reports of Indigenous exclusion, restrictions on protest and ongoing structural barriers that dilute outcomes and sideline affected communities. 

The conclusion is stark: children’s rights are increasingly acknowledged in climate negotiations, but they remain inadequately protected in practice. Turning recognition into meaningful, legally aligned climate action, and reforming the process that delivers it, is now more urgent than ever. 

Read CRIN’s article on the COP30’s aftermath  

Read Together’s article on young voices calling for action at COP30