June 15th, Bonn, Germany
The World Bioenergy Association participated in a high-level side event on sustainable fuels held on 15 June 2026 during the 64th Session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) of the UN Climate Change process in Bonn. The event was jointly organized by WBA, the Government of Brazil, the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, and the Global Compact Network Brazil, and brought together representatives from governments, international organizations, industry, and civil society.
The session focused on the role of sustainable fuels in accelerating the global energy transition while advancing energy security and economic development. COP30 President Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago opened the event, followed by a presentation from the IEA on the Belém 4X Pledge and the key bottlenecks to scaling sustainable fuel production globally. A multi-stakeholder panel featured government representatives from Brazil, Italy, and the UAE, alongside industry and civil society voices, moderated by Jean-François Gagné of the Clean Energy Ministerial.
WBA was represented by Gunnar Placzek, Policy Officer from the German Biofuel Industry Association. In his intervention, Gunnar addressed how the Belém 4X Pledge, combined with energy security considerations and the need to support agricultural sectors, is shaping the transposition of RED III across European member states. He also examined why Germany and several other EU countries have not yet endorsed the Pledge, arguing that a stronger emphasis on sustainability, certification, and fraud prevention would be necessary to bring them on board.
WBA will continue to engage actively in the international climate policy process, and is currently preparing for COP31, taking place in Antalya, Turkey, this November. We look forward to bringing the bioenergy sector's voice to the negotiations and to further advancing the case for sustainable fuels as a key pillar of the global energy transition.
About the Belém 4X Pledge
The Belém 4X Pledge on Sustainable Fuels is a voluntary international initiative launched at COP30, aimed at quadrupling the global deployment and use of sustainable fuels by 2035. To date, 29 countries have endorsed it, with progress tracked by the IEA and implementation supported through the Clean Energy Ministerial's Future Fuel Action Plan.