Colombia announces international summit for the progressive elimination of fossil fuels in 2026, a space that will bring together governments, scientists, Indigenous peoples, civil society, and industry to chart “a just transition” toward clean and renewable energies, within the framework of advancing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
This was explained by the Colombian delegation attending this week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, a forum where the fight against climate change will once again be a central focus of many of the participating world leaders’ interventions.
The details of the summit will be presented at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, the main international climate conference, which will take place in November of this year.
Colombia announces international summit for phasing out fossil fuels
The Colombian delegation in New York, led by President Gustavo Petro, is already preparing its participation in the 2025 United Nations General Assembly. In this context, sources from the delegation announced that next year Colombia will host an international summit to address the progressive abandonment of fossil fuels, laying out a program to embrace renewable energies.
The idea of the participating countries in the future summit is to fulfill the Paris Agreement, signed 10 years ago, which today remains the main international framework to confront climate change.
That agreement set the goal of limiting the increase in global temperature. However, even though fossil fuels — such as coal, oil, and gas — are recognized as the main cause of the climate crisis, the agreement does not mention them at any point, a decision that at the time served to secure international consensus without compromising each country’s energy use.
Nonetheless, there are more and more countries — currently 16 — proposing a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, among them several small island nations highly vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels. This bloc includes countries such as Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga, Fiji, Colombia, Pakistan, and the Bahamas, among others, and seeks to create a framework to control and limit the expansion of fossil fuel projects.
“Colombia is proud to host the First International Conference for the Progressive Elimination of Fossil Fuels in 2026. This gathering will be a crucial moment for the global south to lead the transformation of our energy systems and address the interrelated crises of climate and justice. Together, we will chart a path that prioritizes life, equity, and sustainability over destruction and inequality. This is our moment, our mandate: to build a future beyond fossil fuels and guarantee restorative justice for all,” said Irene Velez, Colombia’s Minister of Environment.
A future treaty toward a ‘just global transition’
The goal of this future and eventual treaty would be to manage “a just global transition,” moving from dependence on coal, oil, and gas toward renewable and abundant energy sources. Advocates of the pact argue that the climate crisis not only threatens the planet but also lives and livelihoods, making it urgent for governments to act and join this effort.
Countries are therefore proposing a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty as a complementary mechanism to the 2015 Paris Agreement, focused not only on reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also on halting the supply of fossil fuels and ensuring that the energy transition is safe and equitable.
Colombia’s Ministry of Environment envisions the conference as “a strategic space for dialogue among various stakeholders, including governments, scientists, Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples, civil society, industry, and academia.” Its objective is “to explore viable, just, and equitable pathways for a transition toward sustainable, diversified, and accessible energy.”
The proposal is inspired by previous international summits that led to successful treaties, such as the Mine Ban Treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The urgency of the summit is reflected in the recent 2025 Production Gap Report, which warns that global fossil fuel production will far exceed levels compatible with the Paris Agreement, underscoring the need for a rapid and global transition to clean energy.
According to sources from the Colombian Ministry of Environment, details of this international summit will be revealed during COP30 in Brazil, an event that will take place in the city of Belem between Nov. 10 and 21.
Related: Colombia Pushes to Unite Climate and Biodiversity Agendas at UNGA Ahead of COP30.