The First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels opens tomorrow in Santa Marta, Colombia, running from 24 to 29 April 2026. Co-hosted by the governments of Colombia and the Netherlands, the conference brings together over 50 countries, civil society groups, indigenous communities, and technical experts to discuss practical pathways for phasing out coal, oil, and gas.
At Belém, 24 countries signed the Belém Declaration on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, including Australia, Colombia, Denmark, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, Vanuatu, and Tuvalu, formally committing to pursue a planned and equitable end to fossil fuel dependence.
Colombia’s Environment Minister, Irene Vélez Torres, and the Netherlands’ Deputy Prime Minister, Sophie Hermans, jointly announced the Santa Marta conference at a press event during COP30. Minister Vélez Torres stated at the announcement, “We must keep the momentum, lead with bravery, rise to the challenge, and build a coalition of the willing.”
Minister Hermans emphasised the need to move from political statements to concrete planning: “There is a clear momentum to phase out fossil fuels, and now is the time to capitalise on it.”
The conference operates outside the formal UNFCCC framework. It is designed as a complementary process where willing governments can work on actionable solutions without requiring universal consensus. The conference is structured around three thematic pillars: overcoming economic dependence on fossil fuels, transforming energy supply and demand, and advancing international cooperation.
The Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative now counts 18 participating nations working towards a binding international framework modelled on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Mine Ban Treaty. The initiative is backed by over 4,000 organisations and one million individuals worldwide.
Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change, Ralph Regenvanu, addressed the significance of the gathering for vulnerable island nations at the conference press briefing, calling it a critical first step and the beginning of an ongoing process. A second conference is planned for October 2026 in the Pacific, co-hosted by Fiji and Tuvalu, ahead of COP31.
The choice of Santa Marta as the host city is itself significant. It is a major coal export port in Colombia, the world’s fifth-largest coal-producing country. The conference runs across several phases: a People’s Summit and Workers’ Summit from 24 to 26 April, an Assembly of the People on 27 April for direct civil society input into the official process, and ministerial-level dialogues on 28 and 29 April. More than 900 organisations are involved in the People’s Summit alone.
The conference outcome is expected to include a mandate to establish formal negotiations for a fossil fuel treaty within one year.
