Brazil’s bid to have Belém host COP30 now official

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced today (Jan. 11) that the country’s Foreign Ministry has made official the candidacy of the city of Belém, capital of Pará state, in North Brazil, to host COP30 in 2025. “We hope we can host the world’s largest climate-related event in a city that’s part of the Brazilian Amazon,” he tweeted.

“I had made a commitment in Egypt, at COP27, that COP30 could be held in Brazil. I was happy when our [Foreign] Minister Mauro Vieira officially picked the city of Belém. I want us to be there for a great COP”, Lula says in a video, joined by Pará Governor Helder Barbalho.

In the same video, Helder highlights the role of bringing the climate debate to Brazil. “Belém keep its doors open to discuss the Amazon, to discuss climate around the world and to find solutions, and I thank the gesture of the federal government towards Belém, Pará, and the Amazon.”

Colombia

Also on his Twitter account, President Lula expressed solidarity with the vice-president of Colombia, Francia Márquez, who, he said, suffered “an unacceptable assassination attempt, fortunately unsuccessful.”

“We need peace for the development of our beloved South America,” he posted.

Yesterday (10), Marquez wrote on social media that his security team found explosives on the road leading to his home in the municipality of Suarez, in the department of Cauca. The artifacts, the Colombian vice-president reported, were detonated in a controlled manner by experts.