COP30 has left children without the protection they need
24 November 2025Despite the scale and urgency of climate impacts on the world’s most vulnerable communities, and despite widespread calls from youth, civil society, and frontline nations, COP30 delivered no significant new adaptation finance commitments.
As Cynthia Betti, CEO of Plan International Brazil and Head of Delegation in Belém, warned, children and girls already living with displacement, hunger, and interrupted education now face another year without the resources they urgently need:
“For girls, for young people, and for communities already living with displacement, hunger, and the loss of education, the lack of funding is not a technical detail—it’s a direct threat to their safety and their futures.
“I saw countries committing to funding but did not specify action and timeframe. They said this is the ‘implementation COP’ but rather, it became ‘roadmap to implementation COP’.
“Promises without resources do not protect children. We need steady, reliable funding that reaches specific groups, especially those led by girls and young people.
“More than one billion children are facing the dangers of the climate crisis. Girls, especially adolescent girls, are at greater risk of early marriage, violence, and losing their education when families struggle to survive climate shocks.
“Governments have a moral and legal duty to act. COP30 was expected to be the moment when words turn into real decisions that protect girls and young people.
“To honour the promises made in Belém, governments need to increase funding for communities most affected, support girls’ and young women’s leadership, and strengthen schools, health centres, protection services, and livelihoods so children are safe when crises strike.
“Real climate action must involve Indigenous peoples, youth activists, women’s groups, disability groups, and the communities most affected. Their knowledge and experiences are essential to solutions that genuinely help families cope and recover.
“As a Brazilian, standing in Belém and watching Indigenous groups march and raise their voices outside the COP30 venue moved me deeply. Their message was clear: the forest, their land, and their cultures cannot survive another cycle of political promises. Their courage reminds us that climate action must start with those who have protected nature for generations.
“I also met many young people at our events who brought a level of honesty we urgently need. A girl from Colombia spoke about how she first learned about climate change during COP26, followed every COP outcome since, and finally made it here in person this year. But what touched me most was what she chose to do before coming, she didn’t want to attend only to share her own voice. She visited schools across her city with support from the mayor and collected the thoughts of over 2000 children aged 11 to 16 about the climate crisis. She brought all their letters and reflections with her, saying she hoped the world leaders would read them and understand what children in her community are thinking about the future. Her words stayed with me. Young people are not just asking to be included; they are already leading.
“Girls and young people did not create the climate crisis, but they live with its harshest consequences. They cannot face another year of empty promises. COP30 must be the turning point.
“As I leave Belém, I keep thinking about the young people and community leaders I met here. Their determination gives me hope—but hope on its own is not enough. By the time we reach COP31, the world cannot still be debating whether to fund the basics that keep children safe. We need real choices, real investment, and real protection, starting now.”
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