COP 30: Climate Summit begins in Brazil, bringing together 57 nations

Event precedes COP 30 and focuses on climate, nature, energy transition and responses to climate disasters.

The Climate Summit opened on Thursday, November 6, in Belém (Pará), northern Brazil, gathering leaders from 57 countries to discuss concrete actions to combat climate change. The two-day meeting, which runs until Friday (7), takes place ahead of COP 30, scheduled for November 10–21, 2025.

Convened by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the summit aims to strengthen international dialogue on environmental protection and energy transition. It brings together heads of state, ministers and international organizations to align commitments and accelerate sustainable measures.

Watch the reception of 57 national leaders at the Climate Summit: (Portuguese only):

Tropical Forests Forever Fund

In his opening remarks, President Lula underscored the importance of international cooperation and presented the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF – Fundo Florestas Tropicais para Sempre), initiative led by Brazil to reward nations that preserve tropical forests, allocating 20% of the resources to Indigenous peoples and traditional communities.

The TFFF represents a shift in the approach to climate finance. Instead of donations, it proposes sustainable investments open to pension funds, companies and governments.

The proposal seeks to address a pledge made — and never fulfilled — at COP 15 in 2009, when wealthy nations promised to provide US$100 billion per year to help countries maintain standing forests, a commitment that was never fully met. “At that COP, rich countries promised US$100 billion a year to help nations with standing forests. That money never came. Now the debt stands at US$1.3 trillion”, Lula said.

For her part, Environment Minister Marina Silva added that reducing social inequality is a key part of confronting the climate crisis and that environmental preservation must be seen as a long-term investment.

Media coverage

Over the two days, the Leaders’ Summit will feature plenary sessions, thematic discussions and working lunches. Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC) serves as the event’s host broadcaster, overseeing an extensive operation with 140 cameras and 42 simultaneous feeds. Full coverage is available on the CanalGov channel and on YouTube.

Learn more

• Visit the official COP 30 website

Photo Credit: Bruno Peres/Agência Brasil