At Santa Marta, Colombia 57 countries convened together 13 stakeholder groups, totalling over 1,500 participants. Conversations centered around three key themes: reducing economic dependence on fossil fuels, transforming supply and demand, advancing international cooperation. The main conclusion of First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels is clear: this momentum must be maintained, and efforts must be organized at greater scale. This conference delivers five key outcomes that create a practical platform for working together and supporting each other to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels.
- The second conference for Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels was announced and will take place in early 2027. It will be co-hosted by Ireland and Vanuatu.
- A coordination group will be created to ensure continuity toward the second and future conferences, strengthen links between initiatives, and avoid duplication. It will bring together countries leading key transition efforts—such as the UK, Denmark, Brazil, France, and the Marshall Islands, along with co-hosts Colombia, the Netherlands, Tuvalu, and Ireland—and will be advised by the COP30 Activation Group.
- The delivery will be shared with the COP30 Presidency to inform its roadmap. Outcomes will also be aligned with the COP31 roadmap and Action Agenda, and feed into the second Global Stocktake.
- Three workstreams have been set-up to identify concrete ways to reduce fossil fuel dependence and strengthen cooperation. Their structure will be defined between the first and second conferences. They will remain open and flexible, allowing countries to join or lead, with support from existing initiatives and experts from the Santa Marta process.
- The Science Panel for the Global Energy Transition (SPGET) was launched, to support countries in moving away from fossil fuels. It will help develop 1.5°C-aligned roadmaps and address legal, financial, and political barriers.
“We have succeeded in bringing the world together. We decided not to resign ourselves to an economy built on the destruction of life; we decided that the transition away from fossil fuels could no longer remain a slogan, but must become a concrete, political, and collective endeavor. When people look back on us from the future, they will not remember only this conference. They will remember whether or not we rose to the challenge of our time,” said Environment Minister Irene Vélez Torres.
Minister van Veldhoven, Climate and Green Growth The Netherlands: “I can confidently say that in recent days we have laid the foundation for concrete action to move away from fossil fuels. With such a broad coalition of countries and representatives from the private sector, civil society, and beyond, this is a group capable of making a meaningful impact. The countries convened in Colombia account for roughly 30% of global energy demand and about 20% of global energy supply. Together, we have begun organizing at scale to meet this challenge, while also committing to sustained engagement over the long term. This transition will require navigating a complex set of economic, social, and technical challenges. The message to address this was clear; let’s get to work and let’s help each other throughout the process.”
The final list of participating countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Luxembourg, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Portugal, Saint Kitts y Nevis, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican - Santa Sede.