by Friendship News Desk,
3 July, 2025
Friendship Senior Director Kazi Amdadul Hoque and Stéphane Van Haute from Friendship Luxembourg joined the 62nd Session of the UN Climate Change Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) in Germany.
The 2025 Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB62) was held from 16 – 26 June at the World Conference Centre in Bonn, Germany, as a series of June Climate Meetings to discuss negotiations on adaptation, mitigation, climate finance, transparency, and other key climate issues. Outcomes from these discussions will shape the agenda and results of the upcoming COP30 event in Brazil.
Climate Meet-up: A Vibrant Civil Society Discussion
Friendship hosted an informal sideline event titled ‘Climate Meet-up’ at the Conference on 18 June 2025. It brought together a mix of participants from diverse groups, including youth, climate experts, scientists, activists, faith leaders, indigenous leaders, civil society actors, and more.
Representatives from the Climate Action Network (CAN), Stop Ecocide International, and the Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR) attended the event. Kazi facilitated it, while Stéphane shared his opening remarks.
The open platform received rave reviews as participants could freely share their opinions without a pre-fixed agenda. A wide variety of topics were discussed, including global goals of adaptation, just transition, climate justice, gender and inclusivity, legal recognition of ecocide, environmental crimes, youth engagement and intergenerational equity, expansion of fossil fuels despite climate pledges, climate finance access, reflections on the 1992 Rio Conventions, and vision for COP30. Participants collectively called for more such participatory formats in COP30 and beyond to ensure inclusivity and transparency.
Building Synergies Together
Kazi joined other global experts in another side event on 23 June 2025 titled ‘Enhancing Capacity for Synergistic Rio Conventions Implementation.’ He cited Friendship’s frontline experiences with mangrove restoration, which found successful outcomes in terms of climate resilience, conservation, and land restoration, all of which align with the commitments of the Rio Conventions. He recommended focusing on community needs, blending ecology with the economy, and establishing better coordination among sectors to address policy gaps and find practical solutions.
Alejandro Kilpatrick, representative of the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Founder and Managing Director of Rio Impact Ludwig Liagre, Ph.D., Melani Acosta Chin, Head of Climate Action at the Ministerio De Ambiente Panama, Arona Soumare, Chief of Climate Change and Green Growth at the Africa Development Bank Group, Policy Advisor at the International Institute for Sustainable Development Jeffrey Q., and Climate Change Specialist Lilian Daphine Lunyolo also spoke in the session.
