British MPs meeting with frontline climate leaders at the UN climate summit on Thursday heard sharp calls for fairer, faster and more accessible climate finance for vulnerable nations.
The cross-party delegation including Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs joined Global South advocates from Bangladesh, Fiji, Peru, Zambia, Brazil and Kenya for a high-level dialogue on how international climate finance can better respond to communities hit hardest by climate impacts. The session was chaired by Melanie Robinson, Global Climate, Economics and Finance Director at the World Resources Institute and a former UK ambassador to Zimbabwe.
Held against the backdrop of COP30 in the Amazonian city of Belém, where negotiators are finalising key decisions on future climate finance, the meeting offered British lawmakers a direct view of how UK-funded programmes are shaping outcomes on the ground and why scaled-up support remains critical.
Bangladesh youth delegate Sohanur Rahman, Executive Coordinator of YouthNet Global, delivered one of the strongest messages of the session. “Climate finance must be guided by justice, not bureaucracy,” he said. “Frontline communities cannot wait for slow, top-down systems. When youth and local people lead, we see real resilience and real results.”
He pointed to the Re-WET project in Dhaka’s Korail informal settlement funded through the UK-backed REDAA programme and supported by IIED as proof that community-led adaptation can thrive when funding reaches local actors. Wetlands are being restored and livelihoods rebuilt in one of the city’s most climate-affected areas, he said, with youth ensuring transparency and inclusive decision-making.
Sohanur also highlighted partnerships with the British Council and the British High Commission that train young Bangladeshis to monitor climate finance and lead grassroots adaptation, including the Tiger Widow initiative run through a UK–Bangladesh cultural exchange programme.
Case studies highlight local impact
British MPs including Anneliese Dodds, Uma Kumaran, Sarah Coombes, Rosie Wrighting, Pippa Heylings and Blake Stephenson heard case studies from across climate-vulnerable regions, ranging from Indigenous land rights to community forest protection.
One major initiative showcased was the Amazon Catalyst for Forest Communities (AMCAT), a £94 million UK-funded programme supporting Indigenous forest governance across the Amazon Basin. Advocates said it illustrates how sustained, rights-based finance can protect biodiversity while strengthening livelihoods.
Global needs rising as finance lags
The dialogue came as pressure mounts on developed countries to scale up climate finance. While the UK has pledged £11.6 billion between 2021 and 2026, concerns persist amid wider cuts to development assistance.
Under the New Collective Quantified Goal set at COP29, developed nations are expected to mobilise 300 billion dollars annually by 2030, a figure expected to rise further under the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap, which could target 1.3 trillion dollars per year by 2035.
Experts warned that delays in delivering adequate finance will deepen global inequalities and raise long-term costs, particularly for countries grappling with climate-driven displacement, food insecurity and economic shocks.
Calls for stronger UK leadership
Speakers urged the UK to champion high-quality, grant-based finance for the most vulnerable nations and to support reforms to global financial institutions. They argued that effective climate finance not only protects lives and ecosystems abroad but also reinforces the UK’s economic security and diplomatic influence.
As COP30 moves into a decisive phase, negotiators are watching closely to see whether countries like the UK will back a more ambitious, justice-oriented global climate finance framework.
