Last week, the 5th Santiago Network Advisory Board Meeting (SNAB5) took place in Geneva. While the meeting advanced internal matters such as strategy and work planning, its broader significance lies in highlighting how the loss and damage (L&D) support architecture has taken shape and how it is evolving on the road to COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

The Santiago Network is embedded in a broader loss and damage support architecture, which has evolved step by step over the past decade. Three complementary institutions have been established to provide countries—especially the most climate-vulnerable—with guidance, technical expertise, and financial resources:

• 2013 (COP19, Warsaw): The Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) was created as the main international framework for addressing loss and damage. Its Executive Committee (ExCom) develops strategic guidance and fosters dialogue and coordination across stakeholders.

• 2019 (COP25, Madrid): The Santiago Network (SN) was launched under the WIM to mobilise and connect technical assistance and knowledge. It acts as a platform linking vulnerable countries with the expertise needed to design and implement effective responses.

• 2023 (COP28, Dubai): The Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) was established to provide the financial means for implementing both ex-ante and ex-post measures. It is designed to complement the WIM’s strategic role and the SN’s technical mandate by supplying the resources required for concrete action.

Together, these three instruments form the backbone of the international response to loss and damage. Each fulfils a distinct function, but their effectiveness depends on coherence and coordination across the institutional landscape.

The Road to COP30

Looking ahead, the next weeks will see important preparatory steps for COP30 in Belém. The WIM ExCom will meet in Bonn at the end of September to discuss strengthening cooperation with the Santiago Network and the FRLD. The FRLD Board is also advancing its operationalisation, including criteria for fund allocation and closer collaboration with the SN. In parallel, discussions are widening to include links between climate and biodiversity agendas, which may open new opportunities for synergies across the three Rio Conventions.

The progress achieved so far marks an important phase in building a more robust architecture for loss and damage. The challenge now lies in ensuring that these institutional frameworks translate into tangible political and financial commitments at COP30 and beyond—delivering real support where it is needed most.