Coming one year after the guidance to fully operationalize the Paris Agreement was adopted and at the end of the first turn of the Paris ambition cycle, the 30th Conference of Parties (COP30) faces the challenge of navigating the transition to a greater focus on cooperation for implementation. The geopolitical context makes that task more formidable and urgent.

A successful outcome to COP30 would include:

• delivering on its technical mandates
• responding robustly, through a consensus outcome, to the likely ambition gap represented by the latest round of nationally determined contributions (NDC)
• acknowledging and celebrating all that has been achieved under the Paris Agreement
• centering the importance of action on adaptation
• sending a strong signal of progress on climate finance
• embracing and implementing the transformative vision of the COP30 Presidency to align the action agenda with the outcomes of the global stocktake
• elevating the profile of, and engagement with, countries reporting progress against their climate targets.

With multilateralism in general—and international efforts to combat climate change in particular—under threat, COP30 must demonstrate to people around the world that the Paris Agreement is alive, well and relevant.