United news 24 Desk ::
UK Members of Parliament met with climate finance advocates from the Global South at the UN Climate Summit COP30 on Thursday in a high-level dialogue on how international climate finance can better support communities facing the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
The session brought together MPs from Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, along with frontline climate leaders from Bangladesh, Fiji, Peru, Zambia, Brazil and Kenya. It was chaired by Melanie Robinson, Global Climate, Economics and Finance Director at the World Resources Institute and former UK Ambassador to Zimbabwe.
For British MPs, the session offered a direct understanding of how UK-funded initiatives are shaping real outcomes on the ground, and why sustained and scaled-up finance remains vital for frontline communities.
COP30, taking place in the Amazonian city of Belém, is expected to finalise key decisions on global climate finance, including the roadmap for scaling up support for adaptation, mitigation and loss and damage.
Bangladesh’s youth delegate at COP30, Sohanur Rahman, Executive Coordinator of YouthNet Global, delivered a strong message on behalf of frontline communities. “Climate finance must be guided by justice, not bureaucracy,” said Sohanur. “Frontline communities cannot wait for slow, top-down systems. When youth and local people lead the process, we see real resilience and real results.”
Sohanur highlighted the Re-WET project in Dhaka’s Korail informal settlement, where climate-affected dwellers are restoring wetlands and rebuilding their livelihoods. The initiative is funded under Restoring Diverse Ecosystems Across Africa and Asia (REDAA) and supported by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) with backing from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
He said the project demonstrates how community-led adaptation can succeed when funding reaches local actors and when young people help ensure transparency, accountability and inclusive decision-making.
For Bangladesh, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, predictable and accessible climate finance remains essential for protecting communities, ecosystems and the national economy.
Sohanur also described how YouthNet Global partnered with the British Council and the British High Commission in Dhaka to train young people in monitoring climate finance and leading youth-driven adaptation efforts in frontline communities. He shared examples including youth engagement in climate finance tracking and the Tiger Widow project, carried out through the Connections Through Culture programme with Manchester-based climate theatre company ERGON. These collaborations, he said, show how British support is already contributing to stronger climate governance and local resilience in Bangladesh.
Case Studies Show Climate Finance in Action
Speakers presented short case studies highlighting how different financing models are benefitting climate-vulnerable regions. The UK delegation, including Anneliese Dodds, Uma Kumaran, Sarah Coombes, Rosie Wrighting, Pippa Heylings and Blake Stephenson, heard first-hand accounts of grassroots adaptation, Indigenous land rights initiatives and community-led forest protection.
One major example was the Amazon Catalyst for Forest Communities (AMCAT), a £94 million UK-funded programme aimed at strengthening Indigenous and local forest governance across the Amazon Basin. Advocates said the initiative demonstrates how sustained, rights-based finance can protect biodiversity while supporting livelihoods.
Rising Global Needs Highlight the Urgency
The dialogue took place at a time of growing pressure on developed nations to scale up climate finance. While the UK has pledged £11.6 billion for the 2021 to 2026 period, concerns persist as overall development assistance is expected to decline.
Under the New Collective Quantified Goal agreed at COP29, developed countries are expected to mobilise 300 billion dollars annually by 2030. The upcoming Baku to Belém Roadmap is likely to raise this ambition further, targeting 1.3 trillion dollars per year by 2035 to meet global needs for adaptation, mitigation and loss and damage.
Experts warned that delays in delivering sufficient finance will deepen inequalities and increase the long-term cost of climate action, particularly for countries already facing climate-induced displacement, food insecurity and economic disruption.
Call for UK Leadership
Speakers urged the UK to demonstrate leadership by championing high-quality, grant-based climate finance for the most vulnerable nations and supporting reforms in global financial systems. They noted that effective climate finance strengthens global stability while also supporting the UK’s own economic security, supply chain resilience and diplomatic influence.
As COP30 enters a critical phase, attention is shifting to ministerial negotiations and whether countries like the UK will step up to support a fair, ambitious and justice-oriented global climate finance framework.
