World leaders gather in Nairobi for climate summit as adaptation finance dominates agenda
The first major climate gathering of 2026 puts the spotlight on whether wealthy nations will deliver on long-promised adaptation funding for the Global South.
Heads of state and senior climate negotiators opened a three-day summit in Nairobi on Wednesday, with adaptation finance, loss and damage payouts, and the slow pace of fossil fuel phase-down dominating the agenda.
The gathering, hosted by the African Union in partnership with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, comes as scientists confirm that 2025 was the warmest year on record, narrowly surpassing 2024.
The funding gap
A new UNEP report released to coincide with the summit estimates the annual adaptation finance gap for developing countries at $215–387 billion — far above current pledges of roughly $30 billion per year.
"We are not asking for charity. We are asking for the bare minimum to keep our economies functioning in a climate we did not break."
— Statement from the V20 group of climate-vulnerable economies
Pakistan, which has joined the V20's call for a binding adaptation finance floor, sent a delegation led by the Climate Change Ministry. Officials are expected to highlight the country's continuing recovery from the 2022 floods.
What to watch
Negotiators are working toward a draft "Nairobi Outcome" by Friday evening. Sticking points include:
- Whether to include a numerical target for new and additional adaptation finance
- Operational details for the Loss and Damage Fund's first disbursements
- Language on coal capacity additions in major emerging economies
A successful outcome here would build momentum for COP31 in Sydney later this year. A weak one — diplomats privately concede — could deepen the credibility crisis facing the multilateral climate process.
