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TALENT ALERT: World's first conference on phasing out fossil fuels opens today attended by more than 50 Nations--including Australia

Fossil Fuel Treaty

24 April 2026

More than 50 nations, including Australia, are gathering for the First Conference on Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuels, co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, running from April 24–29. Pacific island delegations are arriving in Colombia fresh from Port Vila, Vanuatu, where ministers adopted the Tassiriki Call for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific on April 15 — a landmark declaration committing the region to a unified diplomatic strategy to advance a binding Fossil Fuel Treaty.

For Australia, Santa Marta comes at a defining moment. As a participating nation and President of Negotiations at COP31, Australia arrives having signed the Belém Declaration at COP30 signalling support for a fossil fuel transition roadmap—despite having approved 36 new, expanded or extended fossil fuel developments since the Albanese government came into power. These approvals include new coal mines, a mega-polluting gas export project, and a gas drilling approval until 2080. Its Pacific neighbours, who will host pre-COP31 meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu, are watching closely.

AVAILABLE SPOKESPEOPLE

Hon. Ralph Regenvanu, Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards and Disaster Management, Government of Vanuatu.

Ralph Regenvanu is a Ni-Vanuatu anthropologist, politician and Member of Parliament since 2008. A senior Pacific minister with deep experience in climate diplomacy and disaster management.

Hon. Dr. Maina Talia, Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change and Environment, Government of Tuvalu

A Tuvaluan politician, theologian and climate advocate. Minister Talia represents Tuvalu — one of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations — and has been a powerful voice for frontline Pacific communities in international climate negotiations.

Alex Rafalowicz, Director of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative

On the ground in Santa Marta. Being based in Bogotá, Alex is uniquely placed to talk on the comparison between Australia and Colombia.

Rebecca Byrnes, Legal Director of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative

On the ground in Santa Marta.

Michael Poland, Campaigns Director of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative

On the ground in Santa Marta.

The Santa Marta Conference is designed as a space for countries, subnational governments and other stakeholders already committed to implementing the transition — not to persuade sceptics, but to accelerate practical action. Structured across three thematic pillars: overcoming economic dependence on fossil fuels; transforming supply and demand; and advancing international cooperation and climate diplomacy. It will produce a report of enabling pathways intended to feed directly into the COP30 presidency roadmap.

As the Iran War disrupts global oil markets, Pacific nations at the end of the global supply chain are already bearing the costs of fossil fuel dependency: Fiji has hiked petrol prices by 20% and diesel by 35%; Tuvalu has ordered government workers to stay home; the Marshall Islands has declared a 90-day economic emergency; and Solomon Islands is facing potential power cuts when its pre-paid diesel stockpiles run out in May. For Pacific leaders at Santa Marta, this is not a future risk, it is the present reality of a system built on fossil fuels.

The conference also carries powerful symbolic significance: Santa Marta is a major coal export hub, situated in the Colombian province of Magdalena, a region with deep experience of both the harms of fossil fuel extraction and the challenge of economic transition. A second conference will be hosted by Tuvalu in the Pacific within a year, with the goal of securing a formal mandate to negotiate a Fossil Fuel Treaty.

MEDIA CONTACT

To arrange interviews, please contact: Sean Kennedy - 0447 121 378 - [email protected]  

 

Santa Marta contact: Michael Poland, Campaign Director, Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative

[email protected] - WhatsApp: +61 519 581 748

— ENDS —

BACKGROUND

  • The First Conference on Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuels takes place in Santa Marta, Colombia, April 24–29, 2026, co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands. Stakeholder-led dialogues run April 24–27; the High-Level Segment bringing together ministers and senior officials is April 28–29.

  • More than 53 nations are participating, including Australia, Fiji, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, the UK, Canada, Germany, France and Brazil. A total of 2,608 civil society organisations expressed interest in participating.

  • The Tassiriki Call for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific was adopted on April 15 at the conclusion of the Port Vila II PSIDS Ministerial Dialogue on the Global Just Transition. It calls for a binding Fossil Fuel Treaty, 100% renewable energy for the Pacific, and the immediate cessation of fossil fuel exploration and expansion.

  • The Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative is backed by 18 countries, more than 150 subnational governments, 4,000 civil society organisations, and over one million individual endorsees worldwide.

  • A second conference will be hosted by Tuvalu in the Pacific within a year of Santa Marta, with the goal of securing a formal mandate to negotiate a Fossil Fuel Treaty.

  • More information: transitionawayconference.com  |  fossilfueltreaty.org/tassiriki-call 

 

ABOUT THE FOSSIL FUEL TREATY INITIATIVE

The idea of a Fossil Fuel Treaty was born in the Pacific, a region that has long understood that its survival depends on ending the world's dependence on coal, oil and gas. The movement gained significant momentum in Port Vila in March 2023, following the unprecedented impact of two Category 4 cyclones striking Vanuatu within the same week, when six nations issued a collective call for a global fossil fuel treaty - building on earlier endorsements from Vanuatu and Tuvalu. Today, that movement has grown to 18 countries, more than 150 subnational governments, 4,000 civil society organisations, and over one million individual endorsees worldwide.

Learn more at fossilfueltreaty.org


Contact details:

To arrange interviews, please contact: Sean Kennedy - 0447 121 378 - [email protected]  

 

Santa Marta contact: Michael Poland, Campaign Director, Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative

[email protected] - WhatsApp: +61 519 581 748