21/6/25
Flooding in Meng District, Thailand, on October 3, 2022. The third review of the WIM is taking place at the 2025 Bonn Climate Conference. It is an important opportunity to enhance coordination between Loss and Damage entities and massively scale up Loss and Damage finance to ensure that no-one is left behind. (Narongpon Chaiyaburt / shutterstock)
This blog is informed by the Loss and Damage Collaboration’s key messages on the third review of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage and takes into account the evolving priorities of developing countries. For detailed messages and context see here, for more detailed reporting on the negotiations see our daily policy updates.
The sixty-second session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB 62) is ongoing at the 2025 Bonn Climate Conference, in Bonn, Germany. The key negotiating items on Loss and Damage are the third review of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM) and consideration of the 2024 joint annual report of the WIM’s Executive Committee (ExCom) and the Advisory Board of the Santiago Network.
The WIM was established at COP 19 in Warsaw, Poland, in 2013. It has three functions: enhancing knowledge and understanding; strengthening dialogue, coordination, coherence and synergies; and enhancing action and support, including finance, technology and capacity building to address loss and damage. The implementation of these functions is guided by an Executive Committee (ExCom). Under the ExCom, there are five Thematic Expert Groups on: slow onset events; non-economic losses; comprehensive risk management; human Mobility including displacement; and action and support. The Santiago Network for averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage (Santiago Network) is also under the WIM.
At SB 62, Parties are negotiating two draft decisions to forward for consideration and adoption at COP 30 / CMA 7, in Belem, Brazil in November, 2025. The first is to reflect the outcome of the third review of the WIM, and the second is based on consideration of the first joint annual report of the ExCom and the Santiago Network. These two agenda items were originally scheduled to take place at COP 29 / CMA 6, in Baku, Azerbaijan in November, 2024. However, Parties were unable to achieve consensus on the decisions to be taken. As a result the outcome was largely a procedural conclusion with rule 16 of the UNFCCC draft rules of procedure applied enabling negotiations to resume at SB 62.
The third review of the WIM is to be conducted based upon the terms of reference agreed in June 2024 at the 60th Meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB 60). The terms of reference indicate that Parties are to assess the progress in implementing the WIM’s functions, evaluate its performance and achievements, and consider the long-term vision of the mechanism. This includes scrutinising the activities conducted by the WIM through its ExCom, thematic expert groups and the Santiago Network. The review is also required to examine coordination, complementarity and synergies between the rapidly evolving architecture of Loss and Damage institutions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement. This includes considering how the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) and Loss and Damage Funding Arrangements, the Santiago Network and the ExCom might collaborate and align work to avoid duplication and reduce fragmentation.
Meanwhile, the joint annual report and its two addenda containing the ExCom and the Santiago Network annual report contain information about the progress of the work of the respective bodies and recommendations for the Conference of the Parties (COP) and Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) to consider and adopt.
Annual reporting by bodies under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC / Convention) and its Paris Agreement is a common practice, and is critical to facilitating regular review of the implementation of the Convention and to, in turn, promote effective implementation. The joint annual report (often referred to in the negotiations as “JAR”) provides this regular review opportunity. Meanwhile, WIM reviews are conducted less frequently, occurring every five years. These are important opportunities for taking stock of a longer term period of work and considering a bigger picture vision to advance ambitious and innovative ideas to drive the work on Loss and Damage forward.
Ultimately the WIM review is about sending the right political signals to push Loss and Damage institutions to scale up their work. This is needed to meet the urgency and enormity of the loss and damage already being caused by the climate crisis having reached an average temperature increase of at least 1.5°C (2.7° Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. Especially when recognising the quantified midpoint average for the expected Loss and Damage funding needs of developing countries in 2025 alone are predicted to be a staggering 395 [128–937] billion USD.
The first review which took place in 2016 at COP 22 recommended that countries establish a Loss and Damage contact point and the preparation of a technical paper on sources of financial support for loss and damage and the modalities for accessing support. The following year at COP 23, it was agreed this paper would be informed by the Suva Expert Dialogue and later at COP 27 these two outputs were recognised in the decision establishing the FRLD. During the second review, which took place in 2019 at COP 25, the Santiago Network was established under the WIM to catalyse technical assistance from a membership of organisations, bodies, networks and experts (OBNEs) for implementation in developing countries and the communities within them. The Action and Support Expert Group (ASEG) was also established under the ExCom at that time.
When considering what progress can be made through the third review of the WIM, it is important to reflect on what has been achieved in previous reviews, to build on these advancements and consider how to continue to enhance implementation. The first two reviews on the WIM saw critical gains with agreement on mandates to advance the work on action and support, particularly finance. However, there is an outstanding question of what will be the major outcomes of the third WIM review that can carry the work forward?
In Bonn, our expectations were that Parties would finalise a draft decision on the WIM review so that a Loss and Damage decision could be taken on the first day of COP 30. We considered that doing so would send a strong signal on Loss and Damage in much the same way that the operationalisation of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) did at COP 28 in Dubai. As the 2024 JAR is considered a source of input to the review, we thought that a swift decision could be taken on this report either by considering the WIM review and the JAR jointly or by taking a separate short decision on the JAR and focusing attention on a comprehensive decision on the WIM review.
Parties were proactive in working together to advance the work despite the delay in the adoption of the agenda of SB 62. When the first negotiations session opened they requested the co-facilitators Pasha Carruthers (Cook Islands) and Cornelia Jaeger (Austria) to begin drafting two texts. First, Parties suggested that a draft decision text be prepared on the JAR and indicated some basic elements that have now been reflected in an initial draft text prepared by the co-facilitators (Version 19/6/2025 21:00). Parties then provided guidance to the co-facilitators to also prepare a WIM review text according to the six headings from the informal note that the co-facilitators had provided in Baku, including:
Parties then indicated some text that could be drafted already under these headings which were common elements raised by Parties. These have now been reflected in an initial draft text prepared by the co-faciliators (Version 20/6/2025 10:00).
In the meantime, Parties have been working to exchange views on additional elements to be included in the decision on the WIM review. Additional elements have been conveyed to the co-facilitators to update the initial text, and we are expecting this text to be uploaded to the webpage on Monday. These elements include, for example, details on enhancing implementation at the national level and both under and outside the WIM. There is also language on enhancing the accessibility of WIM knowledge products (e.g. the ExCom’s technical guide on non-economic losses) including translation of resources into the six UN languages and additional languages, where appropriate. Finally, there are several elements on enhancing finance and other support that are critical including on enhancing financial support, recognising the progress made including delivery on the technical assistance request made by Vanuatu, and strengthening the work already done by the bodies such as updating the guidelines already agreed by the Santiago Network to make them more easily accessible.
The final component of the work is ongoing negotiations among Parties in a small group setting on five outstanding issues which needed further discussion and exchange of views:
We expect the initial decision proposed on the joint annual report to be acceptable to Parties. However, we look forward to the 2025 joint annual report —which will be considered at COP 30— having more substance to continue to drive the work of these bodies forward.
Regarding the WIM, the core elements we expect are:
On the Santiago Network we need to see:
On the Executive Committee of the WIM we need to see:
Looking at the big picture, the third WIM review is a critical opportunity to ensure that the Loss and Damage institutions under the UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement are responding to loss and damage in a way that undeniably confirms that Loss and Damage is the third pillar of climate action alongside adaptation and mitigation.
The review is about making Loss and Damage visible and sustaining the momentum that has gathered since the establishment of the Santiago Network and FRLD. This is critical for the long term vision of Loss and Damage and ensuring that Loss and Damage response reaches the scale of the needs of developing countries and can match the speed and breadth of the impacts of the escalating climate crisis. As the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, the Hon. Jotham Napat made clear in a video statement released on the first day of SB 62, the WIM is not "finished" yet.
Heidi White is an Australian Lawyer and independent consultant. She co-hosts monthly, and additional calls and communications as required to consult with the team on key issues unfolding with the Santiago Network. In collaboration with the team, she develops briefs and background papers to support progress in the negotiations. She also is available on an ongoing basis to advise members of the latest developments and provide inputs into external work being developed.
Teo Ormond-Skeaping works to coordinate the L&DC's Advocacy and Outreach program Human Mobility and Displacement Working Group and Art & Culture programs. He closely follows Loss and Damage negotiations as well as the Board of the FRLD, the Advisory Board of the Santiago Network and the WIM ExCom.
Hyacinthe Niyitegeka is a climate negotiator with experience in the field of Loss and Damage, as well as in broader climate policy. She serves as coordinator of the L&DC and co-leads the L&DC Santiago Network project.
Read the full text here:
Read the full text here:
Watch the video here: