Background
The Paris Agreement recognises finance, technology development and transfer, and capacity building as essential support for climate action in developing countries. As countries move from commitments to implementation, access to affordable and appropriate green technologies has become central to achieving mitigation, adaptation and development objectives. Developing countries must reduce emissions while creating jobs, strengthening resilience and driving economic transformation.
Recent UNFCCC outcomes have sharpened the focus on technology and just transitions. At COP30, Parties adopted the Belém Technology Implementation Programme (Belém TIP), the first implementation programme under the Paris Agreement, to strengthen support for technology priorities identified by developing countries. Parties also agreed to develop a just transition mechanism. The UAE Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP), which examines pathways to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and their workforce and socioeconomic implications, has increasingly focused on industry, technology, innovation and equitable value chains.
Together, these processes highlight a shared implementation challenge. How can developing countries deploy green technologies in ways that create jobs, build capabilities and support inclusive economic transformation?
Experiences from Africa, India and Brazil suggest that technology access alone is insufficient. Countries gain more when technology deployment is matched with investments in skills, institutions, domestic capabilities, and innovation systems. These factors shape whether countries participate primarily as technology importers or capture greater value through production, adaptation and innovation.
South-South cooperation offers an important pathway. Countries facing similar constraints can exchange practical experience on technology deployment, industrial policy, workforce development and innovation. Such cooperation can accelerate the diffusion of green technologies while strengthening domestic capabilities and local value creation.
Drawing on experiences from Africa, India and Brazil, this side event will explore how South-South cooperation can advance a just technology transition across the Global South. It will examine how partnerships among developing countries can support green technology transfer, capability building and inclusive economic transformation, while identifying lessons for implementing the Belém TIP and the JTWP.
The Event
This COP31 side event will bring together policymakers, researchers, development practitioners and representatives of regional and international organisations. Participants will discuss how South-South cooperation can support a just technology transition in the Global South. Drawing on experiences from Africa, India and Brazil, they will examine practical approaches to green technology transfer, capability building, innovation and skills development. The discussion will identify lessons and opportunities for collaboration that support implementation of the Belém Technology Implementation Programme and the UAE Just Transition Work Programme.
