COP30 to be decisive for climate governance efforts
Speaking at an informal meeting during the UN General Assembly in New York, Brazilian COP30 president Ambassador André Correa do Lago stated that the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference must mark a decisive shift from negotiations to tangible action and implementation.
“The task ahead of us is to strengthen climate governance and provide agility, preparedness, and anticipation in both decision-making and implementation,” he said.
According to the ambassador, Brazil hopes that COP30, to be held in Belém, Pará state, will provide a decisive boost in three key areas:
- protecting and expanding the institutional legacy of the Climate Convention;
- connecting negotiations and political decisions to real life; and
- accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement through structural solutions and initiatives that go beyond multilateral climate action, including global governance and financial frameworks.
For Corrêa do Lago, this includes the fulfillment of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), whose deadline was extended following a low rate of submission by the original February deadline.
“National leaders must uphold their commitment to limiting the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. Human lives, future jobs, and healthy environments all depend on it,” he said.
Multilateralism
The ambassador also highlighted the success of the Troika, which fostered cooperation between the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, and Brazil— the most recent COP presidents. Among the key achievements with these leaders, he emphasized the Global Stocktake (GST), whose first edition was delivered during COP28. The GST is a transparency mechanism under the Paris Agreement, designed to assess progress toward long-term greenhouse gas reduction targets.
"The GST is our guide to the 1.5°C mission, part of our collective effort to implement the vision of the [Climate] Convention and the Paris Agreement—strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change. This is always within the context of sustainable development and the efforts to eradicate poverty," he said.
For Corrêa do Lago, strengthening the instruments of multilateralism is the way to reverse dangerous human interference on the planet.
"The choice of the General Assembly as my first official trip outside Brazil is no coincidence; it is a clear signal that the defense of multilateralism will be central to Brazil's presidency of this COP. Respect for science will also be a key pillar of our presidency," he said.
