Adaptation was a key focus of discussions at the 62nd session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SBs) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The session offered delegates the opportunity to further reflect on the definition of indicators to measure progress towards the Global Goal on Adaptation established in the Paris Agreement. The negotiations were informed by the work of an expert group as well as a special event where the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will provide an update on progress towards revising its 1994 Technical Guidelines for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations.

In other adaptation-related matters, delegates: took stock of experiences with the application of the guidance for the preparation of adaptation communications to be submitted under the Paris Agreement, to possibly revise the guidance; and initiated the fifth review of the Adaptation Fund and considered arrangements for the Fund to exclusively serve the Paris Agreement.

Another focus was monitoring and reporting. In mandated events, the UNFCCC Secretariat provided an update on the reporting tools under the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework and on the training programme for technical experts participating in the review of the biennial transparency reports, which parties to the Agreement submitted for the first time in 2024. Transparency-related negotiations focused on support for developing country reporting, both in terms of financial support and with regard to the terms of reference, composition, and mandate of the Consultative Group of Experts, which provides relevant technical advice.

Negotiations continued on a number of issues on which no agreement was reached at the previous session in Baku, including:

• modalities for a new dialogue aimed at supporting the implementation of the outcome of the first Global Stocktake (GST) under the Paris Agreement;
• procedural and logistical elements of the GST process;
• the review of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM);
• the joint annual report of the WIM Executive Committee and the Santiago Network; and
• progress in the formulation and implementation of national adaptation plans.

Delegates also:

• continued negotiations on the mitigation work programme and the just transition work programme;
• initiated the review of the functions of the Climate Technology Centre;
• further elaborated the technology implementation programme established in 2023;
• initiated the fifth comprehensive review of the implementation of the framework for capacity building in developing countries;
• initiated the development of a new gender action plan; and
• considered matters related to research and systematic observation

It was hoped the Western European and Others Group would settle on a nomination for the host of the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC, which will take place in 2026. Australia and Türkiye have put forward bids to that effect.

SB 62 dialogue sessions focused on, among others:

• market-based cooperative approaches for implementing the Paris Agreement (Article 6.2);
• finance flow alignment (Article 2.1.c of the Paris Agreement and its complementarity with Article 9);
• the ethical engagement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities; and
• ocean and climate interlinkages.

SB 62 convened from 16-26 June 2025, at the World Convention Center in Bonn, Germany. The Subsidiary Bodies meet twice a year, once in June and once in November/December alongside sessions of the governing bodies of the Convention, Kyoto Protocol, and Paris Agreement. The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) is the link between the scientific information provided by expert sources, such as the IPCC, and the policy-oriented needs of the governing bodies. The Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) focuses on assessing and reviewing the implementation of the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement. The SBSTA and SBI work together on cross-cutting issues that touch on both their areas of expertise, which is the case for many issues.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin writers for this meeting were Jennifer Bansard; Tomilola Akanle Eni-ibukun, Ph.D.; Daniel Bertram; and Patrick Toussaint, Ph.D. The Photographer was Kiara Worth, Ph.D. The Editor was Pamela Chasek, Ph.D.