By the Netherlands Finance Ministry
Between 2023 and 2026, the Netherlands helped shape the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action into a results-driven forum for climate policy leadership. The Dutch Co-Chairmanship introduced the annual Climate Action Statement, strengthened members’ regional engagement, and increased the Coalition’s presence in international fora, including the UN and G20, leaving a legacy of innovation, collaboration, and measurable impact.
Succeeding Finland in April 2023, the Netherlands assumed Co-Chairmanship of the Coalition and worked jointly with Indonesia to move beyond convening and towards delivery and impact. One of the most significant innovations under the Dutch-Indonesian leadership was the introduction and launch of the Climate Action Statement (CAS). First introduced in 2023, the CAS became an annual tradition, including a ministerial statement and an extensive database showcasing members’ climate-related fiscal, financial and economic policies. By 2025, the CAS had grown to include over 500 policy actions from nearly 70 countries, reflecting increased ambition and transparency. To complement this, the Co-Chairs guided the development of the Climate Action Map and forthcoming database, an interactive tool that visualizes country-level climate actions across key policy domains, including taxation, public financial management, and regulatory reform. These tools enhanced accountability, fostered peer learning and supported policy implementation across the Coalition’s growing membership.
The Coalition also evolved to develop and implement comprehensive Strategic Work Programs, most recently setting out a vision for the next three years together with Uganda and Croatia. The new Strategic Work Program 2026-2028 focuses on four strategic and five thematic priorities.
Over the three-year period, the Netherlands co-chaired seven global ministerial meetings, as well as numerous side events during the IMF–World Bank Spring and Annual Meetings, and four high-level gatherings at UN climate and biodiversity summits in the UAE, Colombia, Azerbaijan and Brazil. These high-level meetings served as platforms for launching key initiatives such as the Joint NDC Support Initiative, and informed practical tools such as 11 technical policy deliverables including a policy note on fossil fuel subsidy reform and on strengthening finance ministries’ capacity and engagement in the NDCs. Further, these ministerial meetings sent strong signals from the finance ministers’ community through the annual Climate Action Statements and the April 2025 Ministerial Outcome Statement.
Beyond global convenings, during the Dutch leadership term, the Coalition prioritized strengthening of regional member engagement, recognizing that climate challenges and solutions are often context-specific. In 2024, the Coalition organized its first-ever regional meetings for Africa and Asia-Pacific. These gatherings in Kampala and Manila brought together ministries from across their respective regions, fostering peer-to-peer learning on adaptation, resilience, and green growth. The success of these events catalyzed further regional exchange in 2025, including in Bangkok, Addis Ababa, Luxembourg, and Lusaka.
At the global level, the Coalition became a central actor in the global climate finance architecture. Through active engagement in G20 working groups under Brazil and South Africa’s presidencies, UNFCCC COP presidencies, and other multilateral forums such as the Circle of Finance Ministers and Africa Climate Summit, the Coalition helped finance ministries to be recognized as essential players in the implementation of global and national climate objectives.
The Coalition also focused on responding to members’ needs on capacity building. In 2023, the Coalition presented the initial comprehensive Guide on Strengthening the Role of Ministries of Finance in Driving Climate Action. Accompanying the Guide, the Coalition launched a pilot of the rapid self-assessment tool, the Capability Assessment Framework, equipping finance ministries with the tools to assess and enhance their climate readiness. Further, the Coalition's flagship macroeconomic analysis initiative, originated from the Helsinki Principe 4 workstream, developed tools and fostered exchange among members on mainstreaming climate considerations into economic policies, with a strong emphasis on macroeconomic modelling and improving climate-responsive fiscal planning.
As the Netherlands handed over the Co-Chair role to Croatia in April 2026, it leaves behind a Coalition that is larger, more cohesive, and more impactful. During its tenure, the Netherlands contributed to strengthening its strategic direction, institutional development, and the role of finance ministries in the transition to a resilient, net-zero global economy.
Read more in the report ‘Results of the Netherlands Co-Chairmanship 2023-2026’
