Finance Dominates COP30 as Delegates Push for Stronger Land and Housing Commitments

Belém, Brazil (COP30) — In the first week of COP30, sustainable housing and land governance have emerged more clearly in climate finance discussions — but experts warn that much of the talk remains concentrated on broad financial pledges rather than deeply transformative change.

Delegates attend the High-Level Event ‘Baku–Belém Roadmap’ at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, as countries outline priorities for climate action and finance. (Photo: Rafa Neddermeyer/COP30 Brasil Amazônia)

At the summit in Belém, participants announced a renewed US$1.8 billion “Forest and Land Tenure Pledge” to secure tenure rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendant populations across 160 million hectares by 2030.

The pledge, backed by philanthropies and governments, expands on (and broadens) the COP26 commitment, now including ecosystems beyond forests — such as grasslands, peatlands, coastal zones and savannahs.

The commitment comes alongside the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment, which establishes national targets for legally recognising community land rights and reforming tenure systems. According to the International Land Coalition (ILC), this could reshape climate, nature, and justice agendas by prioritising the role of communities as stewards of land.

Still, sustainable housing — particularly affordable, climate-resilient housing — has received far less attention in official COP30 negotiations. Civil society groups note that the intersection between climate adaptation and informal settlements remains largely overlooked. Habitat for Humanity, which is active in COP30, released a white paper highlighting that housing is still underrepresented in Nationally Determined Contributions and climate-finance strategies.

Land-tenure advocates say the $1.8 billion pledge is a significant step, but the structure of financing matters. Under the renewed pledge, the focus is on “direct, long-term, and flexible” finance that gives communities real decision-making power over resource use. Still, reports suggest that only a fraction of previous disbursements reached Indigenous-led organisations directly.

A major institutional mechanism unveiled at COP30 is Brazil’s Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) — a blended-finance mechanism that rewards countries for preserving tropical forests. According to Indigenous delegates, at least 20 percent of TFFF’s annual payments must go directly to forest communities. This is being celebrated as a structural win for community stewardship.

Even so, the coverage of human settlements remains limited. Land coalition groups have called for a more inclusive framing at COP30, noting that land governance is not just about forests, but also about where people live — particularly in informal and underserved settlements. They argue that without legal tenure, housing resilience efforts are fragile: residents lack the security to invest in upgrades or to secure climate adaptation financing.

Further complicating matters, several Indigenous delegates who came to COP30 say they faced barriers to full participation. High costs of accommodation in Belém — including sky-high hotel rates — prevented some Indigenous representatives from attending. Moreover, some raised concern that while pledges are being made, the finance architecture is not yet matched with meaningful agency.

As Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, a prominent Indigenous leader, declared before COP30: “We are committing billions … that are not ending up in the hands of Indigenous peoples to protect the land.”

A key risk lies in implementation. While pledges are announced with fanfare, community leaders warn that if the money flows through intermediaries — NGOs, multilateral agencies — without building local institutions, the transformation demanded will fall short.

The broader challenge is political delivery. Ahead of COP30, governments and Indigenous organisations issued a Call to Action, urging recognition of land rights, free, prior and informed consent, and the co-design of climate facilities with communities.

As COP30 enters its second week, momentum may shift toward translating these high-level announcements into binding commitments. First, negotiators will need to iron out mechanisms that ensure the $1.8 billion reaches communities directly.

Second, there is growing pressure for the Tropical Forest Forever Facility to operationalise its 20 percent allocation for communities in a transparent, participatory way. Third, some civil society groups hope governments will begin to integrate housing resilience more systematically into climate finance frameworks.

But there’s also caution: not all observers believe that the volume of money — as important as it is — will be a true measure of success. “It’s not just about pledges,” said a climate finance expert briefing local media. “It’s about whether tenure reform, institutional architecture, and governance are embedded in the DNA of these mechanisms.”

As the conference moves toward its close, the coming days could determine whether COP30 simply reaffirms known financial goals — or whether it lays operational foundations for more equitable, community-led land governance and housing resilience.