At the 2025 global climate summit, COP30, held in Belém, Brazil, one decision stood out with major consequences for Africa: countries agreed on a new set of progress indicators.
The “Belém Adaptation Indicators” were developed through a two-year UN process.
Although the name may sound technical, the idea is straightforward. For the first time, countries now have a shared way to understand whether the world is actually improving at adapting to climate impacts. Climate adaptation means taking actions to prepare for and cope with the impacts of climate change. These impacts include floods, droughts, heatwaves, coastal erosion, crop losses and climate-driven displacement of people.
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Belem Indicators
So what exactly are the Belém Indicators, and how do they work?
They are a new set of 60 simple measures that help countries track how well they are adapting to climate change. They look at things that affect people every day. These include water security, food systems, health, housing, early warning systems, ecosystems and local economies. Instead of focusing only on policies written on paper, the indicators look at whether communities are actually becoming safer and better able to cope with floods, droughts, heatwaves and other climate threats.
The indicators are grouped into key themes, such as:
reducing climate risks: early warning systems, disaster preparedness
strengthening resilience: health systems, water and food security
protecting ecosystems: forests, wetlands and coastal areas
supporting vulnerable people: gender, disability, Indigenous groups
tracking finance and resources: how adaptation money flows to communities.
Together, these 60 measures give countries a shared way to understand and monitor where progress is happening, and where support is urgently needed.
For years, adaptation has been talked about in broad terms, often without clear measures of progress. The Belém Indicators aim to change that by providing a common language for describing what resilience entails and whether people, particularly the most vulnerable, are becoming safer.
As a disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation scholar, I have examined the new Belem Indicators and their relevance for Africa. They represent an important global milestone, but their success will depend on strong financing, inclusive design and locally grounded implementation. With COP32 coming to Addis Ababa, Africa can help turn these indicators from ambition into real impact.
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Why this matters for Africa
Africa is experiencing some of the most severe climate impacts globally. Across west and central Africa, floods have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Meanwhile, record-breaking heat across the Sahel is straining health, food production and energy systems.
At the same time, African communities are finding their own solutions, from local early warning systems to nature-based projects, community savings groups and innovative farming practices.
But until now, there has been no global way to recognise these efforts, monitor progress or identify where help is most needed. The Belém Indicators begin to fill that gap.
For Africa, this is important. Too often, national averages mask significant differences between rural and urban areas, between wealthy and poorer families, and between groups with vastly different levels of exposure to climate threats. A focus on equity ensures the people most at risk are not invisible.
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But the indicators are not perfect
While the adoption of the Belém Adaptation Indicators is a major step forward, in my view, they are not yet the finished product the world needs.
Many negotiators, observers and technical experts have noted that several elements were softened during the final stages of negotiation, leaving some indicators broader or less precise than originally intended. Others require information that many countries in Africa do not yet have the systems or resources to collect on a regular basis. Countries often lack reliable data on the annual damage caused by climate impacts, such as floods or droughts. They may not have local assessments that identify which communities are most at risk and why. Additionally, they struggle to track whether money allocated for adaptation is actually reaching the people who need it.
These challenges do not undermine the value of the framework. Rather, they highlight a practical reality: agreeing on global indicators is only the first step. Making them meaningful, measurable and fair, especially for countries facing the highest climate risks, will require further refinement. This is why the next phase of work is so important.
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A two-year window: from Belém to Addis Ababa
To strengthen the indicators, countries agreed on what is being called the “Belém–Addis Vision”, a two-year process to refine the framework and make it more practical. The timing is symbolic: COP32, in 2027, will be hosted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The world expects the indicators to be clearer, more usable and better suited to different regions by then.
This two-year journey, from Belém to Addis, creates a unique opportunity for Africa. COP32 will be the first real test of whether these indicators can help countries evaluate and communicate adaptation progress.
Africa can lead, not just follow
Africa’s contribution will be essential for two reasons.
First, the continent’s climate challenges are diverse and rapidly changing. Solutions that work in one area may not work in another. This variety makes Africa the best testing ground for global indicators that aim to capture real-world complexity.
Second, Africa is already a source of innovation. Community-based disaster preparedness, Indigenous knowledge systems, local climate information services and strategies for managing climate mobility offer lessons the world can learn from. These experiences should be integrated into the indicator framework, rather than being treated as afterthoughts.
But for Africa to play this role, support will be needed.
A milestone with work still ahead
The Belém Adaptation Indicators provide the world with something it has long lacked: a shared, understandable and focused approach to discussing adaptation, centred on what matters most, people’s safety and wellbeing. But they are not the final answer. They are the starting point.
With COP32 heading to Addis Ababa, Africa has a rare opportunity to shape the next generation of global adaptation tools and ensure they work for those living on the frontline of climate change.
If the journey from Belém to Addis is used wisely, the world will be better equipped to build resilient societies. If not, precious time will be lost in a decade when every year matters.
Olasunkanmi Habeeb Okunola is a Senior Researcher at the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS). He has received numerous research grants focused on climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
