ICOMOS at COP30: Heritage, Culture, and Global Climate Action

COP30: A Breakthrough for Culture and Heritage

The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) Framework, adopted in December 2023 at COP28, marked an important step forward by officially recognizing heritage sites and cultural traditions as key parts of climate adaptation efforts.
On 21 November 2025, COP30 met the expectations set at COP28 by approving the CMA6 Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) decision, which now includes 5 indicators to track how well heritage sites and cultural practices are being protected and adapted to climate change.
While still a work in progress, the COP30 outcome is the strongest step yet toward making culture and heritage a practical part of international climate policy. It reflects five years of steady efforts by culture and heritage partners since COP26 and marks an important milestone in the HACA (Heritage Adapts to Climate Action) journey and initiative, of which ICOMOS has been a strategic partner.

Action Agenda Accomplishments: ICOMOS involved in 3 Plans to Accelerate Solutions

ICOMOS is grateful that the GGA has recognized the vital role of heritage in adaptation and is proud to be part of 3 heritage-centric Plans to Accelerate Solutions on the Action Agenda, which align with the GGA’s call for increased ambition to protect cultural heritage and offer concrete measurable ways to achieve that.
Cultural Heritage was included under the “Fostering Human and Social Development” axis as part of Activation Group 19 (AG19): Culture, Cultural Heritage Protection and Climate Action.  COP30 introduced a new pathway to track and scale efforts across sectors: Plans to Accelerate Solutions (PAS).

The ICOMOS Climate Action Working Group is one of the initiatives in the Action Agenda and is involved in 3 PAS :

1. the Heritage Adapts campaign (led by Preserving Legacies)
2. the Heritage Now campaign (led by Built Buildings Lab); and the
3. Plan to Accelerate Cultural Heritage Considerations in National Adaptation Plans (led by Ministry of Culture of Brazil and the Group of Friends of Culture-Based Climate Action, GFCBCA)

ICOMOS CAWG supported PAS Heritage Adapts and the Heritage Now Campaign as well as GFCBCA throughout several COP30 events and meetings, including the final joint letter of all the PAS to the Presidency. As a result, heritage-based PAS were acknowledged in COP30 by the COP30 presidency.

ICOMOS at COP30: Key Activities and Takeaways

Heritage Adapts! 3000 x 2030 campaign

ICOMOS is part of the Heritage Adapts! Coalition Steering Group of the Heritage Adapts to Climate Action (HACA) initiative, which announced at COP30 the launch in 2026 of the Heritage Adapts! 3000 x 2030 Campaign. The Heritage Adapts! 3000 x 2030 Campaign is a worldwide initiative to help 3,000 heritage sites and cultural traditions put climate adaptation measures in place by 2030. The campaign aims to make adaptation knowledge available to everyone, improve access to climate information, and bring together heritage caretakers from around the world to work together for stronger, more resilient communities.

Preserving Legacies receives 2025 Local Adaptation Champions Award

Preserving Legacies, a project which ICOMOS is proud to be a primary partner of, was awarded the 2025 Local Adaptation Champions Award in the Science category by the Global Center on Adaptation during a COP special event. This distinction recognizes the project’s commitment to uniting science, culture, and community to protect heritage sites threatened by climate change, as well as the dedication of local custodians who lead values-based, science-informed adaptation efforts worldwide.

ICOMOS co-led COP30 (side) events

ICOMOS CAWG organised the official side event of UNFCCC together with Architecture 2030: “What Can We Learn from Climate-Smart traditional Buildings”. Several participating ICOMOS members highlighted the contribution and importance of the regional perspectives of vernacular architecture in climate action.

For the first time in UNFCCC history, the United Nations Paris Committee on Capacity Building held a thematic day on Culture, Heritage & Arts. Ave Paulus, ICOMOS CAWG Focal Point, highlighted the role of cultural heritage in climate policies in the keynote panel and introduced the Preserving Legacies forthcoming Heritage Adapts campaign.

ICOMOS CAWG’s cooperation with Architecture 2030, the Union of Architects and the Climate Heritage Network was especially active – with joint events held nearly every day, including:

• “Culture-Based Solutions in the Built Environment”;
• “The Role of Green Architecture Against Climate Change”;
• “Heritage and Resilience: Safeguarding Culture and Community in a Changing Climate”;
• “Cultural Heritage-Based Climate Action in the Built Environment”;
• “World Heritage and Climate Change”;
• “Green Design as a Driver for Climate Action”.

Among the speakers were several ICOMOS members, including Ave Paulus, Aline Carvalho, Celso Almeida, Bruno Aldrade, Mauro Garcia, Mokolade Johnson and many other colleagues.

The sessions clearly demonstrated that heritage, buildings and landscapes are a rich source of solutions – rooted in traditional and local knowledge, supporting diverse local cultures, and shaped by thousands of years of human adaptation to the climate.

Visit the News & Events section of the ICOMOS CAWG website for additional information

ICOMOS Brazil cooperated with ICOMOS CAWG in organising two seminars –  “World Heritage and Climate Change” in the Green Zone and “Culture, Heritage and Climate Change – A view from Latin America” at the Amazon Museum, with several members of ICOMOS Brazil, Argentina, Latin America and CAWG present. Leading up to COP30, ICOMOS Brazil launched in cooperation with several partners pioneering documents on heritage in climate action, including the report “Green Belem” (2023), the Brazilian Charter on Heritage in Climate Action (2025) and the Bahia Charter (forthcoming, 2025).

COP31 expectations

ICOMOS continues to advocate for the integration of culture and heritage as fundamental components of climate policy and expresses concern that the Mutirão text omitted any reference to culture. It is hoped that 2026, encompassing the pre-COP31 events in the Pacific Islands and COP31 in Turkey, will highlight the essential contribution of culture not only to Adaptation Target 9 but also to the broader, cross-cutting dimensions of climate policymaking.