When GIFSEP travelled to Belém, Brazil for #COP30, it was with a clear purpose; to ensure that the lived realities of Nigerian communities were not lost in global climate conversations. Our participation was rooted in years of grassroots work, listening to farmers facing erratic rainfall, women navigating energy poverty, young people demanding inclusion, and communities bearing the cost of decisions made far beyond their borders.

COP30 came at a critical moment. Decades after the establishment of the UNFCCC and years after landmark agreements like Kyoto and Paris, communities across Africa continue to experience climate impacts without commensurate action or support. For GIFSEP, attending COP30 was not about the symbolism of presence, but about bridging local realities with global decision-making.

Throughout the convening, our engagement focused on climate finance, adaptation, just transition, and accountability. We consistently amplified the message that climate solutions must move beyond commitments on paper and translate into action that reaches communities directly. Conversations with policymakers, negotiators, and civil society partners reinforced a familiar truth: those most affected by climate change remain the furthest from the resources and power needed to respond effectively.

Reflecting on COP30, GIFSEP’s Executive Director, Dr. Michael Terungwa David, emphasized that the current climate process still struggles to close the gap between global ambition and local impact. While important dialogues continue, frontline communities cannot afford further delays. For them, climate change is not a future risk, it is a present reality shaping food security, livelihoods, health, and dignity.

GIFSEP used its presence at COP30 to advocate for:

• Climate finance that is accessible, transparent, and responsive to community needs
• Adaptation strategies that are locally led and context-specific
•  A just energy transition that does not reproduce extractive or exclusionary systems
•  Stronger accountability mechanisms that move climate commitments from promise to practice

Beyond policy spaces, COP30 reaffirmed why GIFSEP’s work begins and ends with communities. Hence, global forums matter only when they serve as tools to strengthen local resilience, protect rights, and enable people-driven solutions.