Current Context
The Bonn Climate Change Conference 2025 began on June 16 in Bonn, Germany, with participation from over 5,000 delegates. This annual mid-year meeting is held under the UNFCCC framework and focuses on technical discussions related to climate policy, finance, adaptation, and scientific review. It aims to prepare the groundwork for decisions to be taken at COP29 later this year. A key agenda item this year is finalizing the framework for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA)—a collective global effort to strengthen resilience against climate change impacts.
Features
| Feature | Explanation |
| Event Details | Conference began on June 16 and ends June 26; held annually in Bonn under UNFCCC. |
| Purpose of the Conference | Technical-level meeting to review implementation of past COP decisions and set agenda for next COP. |
| Participants | 5,000+ delegates including governments, UN bodies, civil society, scientists, and Indigenous groups. |
| Organising Bodies | UNFCCC’s Subsidiary Bodies — SBI (Implementation) and SBSTA (Science and Tech Advice). |
| Role of SBI | Monitors how countries are implementing climate actions; focuses on finance and technical help for developing nations. |
| Role of SBSTA | Provides scientific and technical input from IPCC to COP decision-making processes. |
| Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) | Key focus: turning COP28’s initial framework into actionable steps for global adaptation goals. |
| Climate Finance Discussions | Evaluating existing finance flows and discussing future mechanisms post-2025. |
| Significance | Sets the tone and technical base for COP29 in Baku; crucial for operationalizing past commitments. |
What is the Bonn Climate Change Conference?
The Bonn Climate Change Conference is an annual mid-year climate negotiation platform under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is formally called the Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SBs) and is held in Bonn, Germany, where the UNFCCC Secretariat is headquartered.
This is not a policy finalization summit like the COP (Conference of the Parties), but a technical-level negotiating round that:
- Reviews progress since the last COP
- Lays groundwork for agenda and negotiation texts for the upcoming COP (held every November–December)
- Facilitates interim decisions and technical standard settings needed to implement long-term climate goals.
UNFCCC Background:
Adopted in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit, the UNFCCC is the parent treaty to the Kyoto Protocol (1997) and Paris Agreement (2015). It commits 198 countries to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for climate impacts.
Who Attends the Conference?
The 2025 Bonn Conference has brought together over 5,000 participants, including:
- Government delegations from signatory countries (called Parties to the Convention)
- Scientific experts
- UN bodies and intergovernmental organisations (IGOs)
- Civil society organisations, including youth groups and environmental NGOs
- Indigenous communities and frontline climate defenders
- Private sector and financial stakeholders
These actors provide both technical input and lobbying pressure for outcomes that align with climate justice, equity, science, and national interests.
What Are the Subsidiary Bodies (SBs)?
There are two permanent Subsidiary Bodies under UNFCCC that convene in Bonn:
(a) Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA):
- Interfaces with global scientific institutions, especially the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- Advises the COP on:
- Climate modeling
- Monitoring methodologies
- Technology transfer
- Emissions accounting
- Nature-based solutions
(b) Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI):
- Tracks the execution of past COP decisions
- Discusses:
- Climate finance flows (especially from developed to developing nations)
- Capacity-building needs
- National adaptation plans (NAPs)
- Loss and damage mechanisms
Why is the Bonn Conference Important?
Though less publicized than the COPs, the Bonn meetings are technically and politically influential, because:
- They shape the negotiation texts and agenda points for COPs.
- Many contentious political decisions are pre-negotiated here in smaller, issue-specific working groups.
- Implementation challenges are assessed (e.g., finance not flowing, adaptation planning gaps, lack of data-sharing, etc.)
- Decisions here often appear as draft texts or resolutions adopted later at the COP.
Key Agenda for Bonn 2025
(a) Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA):
- Part of the Paris Agreement (2015), GGA was meant to elevate adaptation to the same level as mitigation.
- Until COP28 (2023, Dubai), no real framework existed for GGA.
- In COP28, countries agreed to develop targets and metrics to:
- Track adaptation actions globally
- Measure resilience-building
- Support data systems and early warning systems
At Bonn 2025, the focus is on operationalizing the GGA framework: defining targets, identifying indicators, and linking finance mechanisms.
(b) Climate Finance Mobilisation:
- Developed nations promised $100 billion/year by 2020 (first pledged in 2009 at Copenhagen COP15) to support climate action in developing countries. That goal has not been met.
- Bonn 2025 revisits:
- How much has been mobilised so far
- How to track flows transparently?
- Design of post-2025 climate finance architecture
- Role of multilateral development banks and private sector
(c) Technology Transfer and Capacity Building:
- Discussions focus on how to provide clean energy, carbon capture, early warning systems, and drought-resistant agriculture tools to developing nations.
- The Technology Mechanism under UNFCCC is reviewed here for effectiveness.
(d) Loss and Damage Operationalisation:
- The Loss and Damage Fund agreed at COP27 (Egypt, 2022) and structured at COP28, is under implementation.
- Bonn 2025 explores:
- Contribution commitments from rich nations
- Governance structure
- Disbursement criteria for nations facing irreversible climate impacts (e.g., island states, flood-prone nations)
(e) Just Transition Work Programme:
- Discussion on equitable socio-economic shifts toward green economies:
- How to protect workers in coal and oil sectors?
- Gender-just and community-led transition pathways
- Financing for retraining, jobs, and social protection in carbon-intensive economies
Broader Geopolitical and Scientific Context (as of 2025)
- Record temperatures and extreme weather have intensified climate urgency (e.g., 2024 floods in South Asia, heatwaves in Europe, wildfires in Canada).
- The Global Stocktake (GST) at COP28 showed that nations are off-track to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
- Carbon Budget is depleting rapidly: Only a few years left at current emission rates to stay within 1.5°C.
- Countries like India, Brazil, and African Union members are pushing for:
- Equity-based carbon space allocation
- Increased access to climate finance and clean technologies
- Formal recognition of adaptation needs in fragile zones (like Himalayan and Sahel regions)
What Next After Bonn 2025?
- Outputs from Bonn will form negotiation drafts for COP29 to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan (Nov–Dec 2025).
- The focus will shift to:
- Operational plans under the GGA
- Finalizing the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on finance (post-2025 target)
- Strengthening Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for 2030
Conclusion
The Bonn Climate Change Conference 2025 is a crucial preparatory ground for global climate governance. Though lacking the high-profile announcements of COPs, it drives the technical, financial, and implementation machinery behind climate action. This year’s discussions—especially on Global Goal on Adaptation, climate finance, and loss and damage funding—are vital to ensuring the world’s poorest and most vulnerable are not left behind in the fight against climate change.
