The First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels was held in Santa Marta, Colombia, from April 24–29, 2026. Co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands. Unlike the UN’s COP climate meetings, where consensus decisions are made, Santa Marta was not a negotiating conference, but a space for those who want to move ahead and take practical steps to end dependence on fossil fuels. 57 countries participated,representing about one-third of the global economy, alongside representatives from many other stakeholder groups.
Civil society participants testify to a hopeful and constructive atmosphere:
At COP30, a vanguard of brave and bold countries gave hope that cooperation in tough times is still possible. So, they organized a conference. And thousands of people, and 57 countries, gathered in Santa Marta during those days to address the toughest climate hurdle of all – ending our dependence on fossil fuels. A remarkable thing happened. Hope swelled into momentum. Nascent implementation plans were discussed. ‘What’ turned to ‘how’. And a new, complementary pathway emerged.
Manuel Pulgar Vidal, WWF Global Climate and Energy Lead
WWF closing press release
What set this conference apart was the willingness to dive into and address the complex challenges of our fossil-fuelled world. The debt crisis, which keeps so many countries trapped on the fossil fuel treadmill against their will, came up repeatedly. Phasing out fossil fuels is not only a matter of energy transition, but also economic transformation, requiring just transitions and climate finance.
Teresa Anderson, Action Aid International
Santa Marta plants the seeds of a fossil-free future: Civil society will hold governments to account – Climate Action Network
The official outcomes
By the end of the conference, the co-hosts, Colombia and the Netherlands, published a synthesizing report of takeaways, including a summary of discussions as well as a list of five conference outcomes:
- A second conference was announced to take place in 2027, co-hosted by Tuvalu and Ireland.
- A coordination group – linking together the hosts of the first and second conference and countries that lead implementation initiatives – will ensure continuity.
- The conference report will be shared with various entities within the UNFCCC process, to make sure its outcomes complement the formal UN processes, such as the COP30 Presidency’s roadmap, the second Global Stocktake and the Global Climate Action Agenda.
- Three workstreams will be established, in preparation for the second conference, focusing on:
– Country roadmaps for fossil fuel phase out, aligned with their NDCs.
– Macroeconomic dependencies and the financial architecture, including changes in financial systems, focus on debt constraints, as well as subsidies.
– Producer–consumer alignment for fossil fuel transition, including considerations of how to make transitions people-centered. - The Science Panel for the Global Energy Transition (SPGET) was launched with the aim to support the development of country roadmaps aligned with the 1.5°C goal.
“A new climate democracy”
The conference was different from UN meetings in its approach to participation. In the words of Colombia’s Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Irena Vélez Torres, the organisers wanted to transform the way global climate conversations take place. She described it as a “new climate democracy” in which voices from different parts of society – including Parliamentarians, indigenous people, peasants, women’s groups and NGOs – give different angles and review the work of governments, while at the same time showing support for the transition.
In times of an exhaustion of multilateral processes and a gap in delivering the systemic change we need, what is emerging offers a different approach. If improved, this could be a real bottom-up process that centers the voices of communities most affected by fossil fuel extraction and consumption.
Fernanda Carvalho, Head of Policy for Climate and Energy, WWF International
Santa Marta plants the seeds of a fossil-free future: Civil society will hold governments to account – Climate Action Network
Fabián León from the Business and Human Rights Resource Center in Colombia especially appreciate how there was convergence between different spaces, where communities had their own spaces while also had access to the formal conference. “The most important thing we found here was the diversity of discussions and the demands of participation.”
In parallel to the formal conference process, civil society engaged through the People’s Summit:
The People’s Summit was three days of commitment, energy, and hope that reflected decades of struggle – and a shared conviction that the fossil fuel era can and must end. Almost 1,000 organisations came to Santa Marta not just to bear witness, but to set the terms. Now governments must honour them.
Tasneem Essop, Executive Director of CAN International
Santa Marta plants the seeds of a fossil-free future: Civil society will hold governments to account – Climate Action Network
Another initiative related to the conference was a multifaith appeal for a Fossil Fuel Treaty, collecting signatures from both individuals of faith and religious institutions. Faiths for a Fossil Free Future
The global ecumenical movement has a solid stand to support the phasing out of fossil fuel. We will continue to work towards this common goal together with people of other faith who share the same objectives. After the conference there is now 725 religious groups globally that call for a fossil fuel treaty.
Margareta Koltai, Policy Advisor, Act Church of Sweden
Momentum and time to act
The conference showed that now is the time to act, and civil society voices emphasize the role that rich nations must play in rolling out the transition, as well as the necessity of making it a fair transition.
The fact that over 50 countries came together to start developing a path to transition away from fossil fuels must be celebrated. The People’s Summit demonstrated that there is no shortage of concrete proposals for how to implement a just transition. /…/ Rich countries, which hold disproportionate historical responsibility for the climate crisis, must not only move first and faster but also provide finance at scale for others to follow suit.
Mariana Paoli, Global Climate Policy and Advocacy Lead, Oxfam
Santa Marta shows that momentum for a fossil fuel phase-out is no longer an abstract concept, it is now politically and socially unavoidable. The political space is expanding rapidly given current geopolitical events, but governments must now translate this into time-bound, science-aligned action to end the fossil fuel era, without delay. If the EU is serious about aligning with science, it must now move beyond general commitments and establish clear, binding fossil fuel phase-out dates and pathways to achieve those.
Chiara Martinelli, Director, CAN Europe
Santa Marta conference marks turning point in fossil fuel phase-out momentum – CAN Europe
Our partner organisations in the Global South testify that the energy transition often carries profound social costs for already vulnerable populations. Communities with limited electricity access lose land to renewable energy infrastructure. Workers in fossil-dependent economies lose livelihoods without alternatives. For them, the energy transition is not just about climate goals, but about livelihoods, access to basic services, and social protection. Rich countries that have built their wealth on fossil energy have an obligation to finance and implement a global energy transition that leaves no one behind.
Anja Ipp, Policy Advisor, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation
Read the reports and watch sessions
- Conference report: TAFF+Conference_Co-host+Takeaways_DEF.pdf
- Detailed synthesis reports submitted by various stakeholder groups – including NGOs, social movements and ‘women and diversities’ – are available to the conference website: Contributions — First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels
- Many sessions, press conferences and interviews can be watched on the website of We don’t have time: Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels – Apr 24, 2026–Apr 29, 2026