USCIB at the 2025 Bonn Climate Change Conference

Agnes Vinblad (USCIB) at the 2025 Bonn Conference.

Agnes Vinblad, USCIB Director for Environment and Sustainable Development, represented members at the recently concluded UN Bonn Climate Change Conference, also known as the 62nd Session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – the most important preparatory meeting ahead of the 30th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP30) in November.

Notably, this was the first session of the SBs in UNFCCC history without any US government participation, a development that contributed to heightened divisions amongst parties and set the stage for challenging negotiations. 

The session in Bonn was off to a difficult start, with formal negotiations delayed by two days due to an especially contentious “agenda fight” centered on proposals from global south Parties to add additional agenda items: one to deal with the obligation of developed countries to provide finance to developing countries (Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement), and one item to deal with trade-restrictive unilateral measures. 

Despite reaching an agenda compromise, deep global south and global north divisions persisted during the two weeks in Bonn, particularly over finance and trade-related topics. 

The absence of the US government allowed global south blocs to assert their priorities more strongly, changing negotiation dynamics and likely setting the stage for a challenging COP in November. 

USCIB Engagement in Bonn 

USCIB’s Vinblad represented members for the full two weeks of negotiations in Bonn, playing a central role in the global business and industry delegation. Vinblad made interventions on behalf of global business during negotiations on just transition and observer engagement, and also represented the Global Business and Industry Constituency during the high-level COP Troika Dialogue, convened by the COP Presidencies for COP28, COP29, and COP30.  

Vinblad met bilaterally with numerous key governments, “For us, it was a key priority to make sure that Parties know that US businesses are still actively engaged in the UNFCCC process, regardless of recent government developments,” she said. “Decisions reached under the UNFCCC impacts and directs critical investment decisions, and strategic planning, for most major global businesses – it is imperative to remain involved in this process”, Vinblad concluded. 

• June 15: Vinblad served as the only in-person private sector representative for the technical expert exchange convened by the UN Biodiversity and UN Climate Change Secretariats, to discuss enhanced policy coherence on climate change and biodiversity. Vinblad made multiple interventions during the session. 

• June 17: USCIB Environment Committee Co-Chair, Justin Perrettson (Novonesis), chaired the daily Global Business and Industry Briefing which included Jim Skea, Chair of the IPCC, as guest speaker.

• June 21: Vinblad delivered the Global Business and Industry intervention during the contact group for Arrangements for Intergovernmental Meetings (AIM) (view statement).  

• June 23: Vinblad chaired the daily Global Business and Industry Briefing which included key negotiator Tulio Andrade, Chief Strategy and Alignment Officer, from the COP30 Brazil Presidency. 

• June 24: Vinblad delivered the Global Business and Industry intervention during the contact group for the Just Transition Work Programme (view statement).

• June 24: Vinblad delivered the Global Business and Industry intervention during the high-level Troika Dialogue (view statement). 

In terms of key negotiated priorities for USCIB, progress was achieved on important items such as the Mitigation Work Programme (MWP), the Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP), and the technical indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). However, a lot of work remains to be completed at COP30.