Unceded Anishinaabe Algonquin Territories [OTTAWA], 30 April 2026:
The First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels concluded yesterday in Santa Marta, Colombia. It marked a historic first in international cooperation and honesty, directly addressing the need to phase out fossil fuels and the barriers standing in the way of doing so. With the second conference in Tuvalu already announced, to standing ovations in Santa Marta, a fast lane has been paved for counties to work collaboratively to accelerate progress.
Sasha Lleshaj, International Just Transition Coordinator, Climate Action Network Canada, said: “Santa Marta called for courage, and the multiple crises we are facing demand nothing less. Civil society from all over the world arrived in Colombia with urgency, hope, and the bold political imagination needed for a future beyond fossil fuels.
“Canada showed up, too—but with timidity. As we saw in this week’s Spring Economic Statement, Canada has not yet faced the incoherence between its aspirations to climate leadership and the reality of its active promotion of oil and gas expansion at home.
“But the momentum of Santa Marta cannot be stopped, and we’ll continue fighting for Canada to step away from its fossil fuel dependence at home, and step forward as a real partner in the global just transition.”
Analysis and key outcomes:
- In its interventions, Canada emphasized the connections between economic opportunities and climate action, and the importance of international cooperation—but didn’t recognize the need for moving away from dependence on fossil fuels, or speak in depth to international governance of the energy transition.
- The People’s Declaration for a Rapid, Equitable, and Just Transition for a Fossil-Free Future sets out a comprehensive political vision and blueprint for the work ahead. The document is the product of months of work and alignment on principles and demands, and three days of in-person gathering at the People’s Summit, from civil society organizations, frontline communities, Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendants, women, youth, and workers.
- The high-level conference and co-host takeaways did not fully take up the calls to action and substantial proposals from the People’s Declaration, and that gap must be closed in the forthcoming final conference report.
- Coordination will continue to connect the conference outcomes with the United Nations processes and climate COPs, as well as the COP30 Presidency’s work on developing a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels. Countries and regions will also benefit from the launch of the new Science Panel for the Global Energy Transition, a panel of top world scientists specialized in the energy transition, who can assist in crafting the transition roadmaps.
- As countries get to work on concrete solutions in three workstreams, Tuvalu will host a second Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in 2027, co-hosted with Ireland. This second Conference must move further on ambition, and address the structural barriers that prevented full participation from the Global South in Santa Marta.
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Canada’s farthest-reaching network of organizations working on climate and energy issues, Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat (CAN-Rac) Canada is a coalition of close to 200 organizations operating from coast to coast to coast. Our membership brings environmental groups together with trade unions, First Nations, social justice, development, health and youth organizations, faith groups and local, grassroots initiatives.
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Vicky Coo, Communications Manager
comms@climateactionnetwork.ca
Image: High Level Segment (First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuel/Flickr)