Around 60 world leaders are due to attend a climate summit in Belém, Brazil, at the edge of the Amazon, this Thursday and Friday to set the political stage for the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP30).
Typically held at the start of climate conferences, this summit has been scheduled ahead of COP30 by Brazil’s presidency to ease pressure on Belém’s hotel and logistical infrastructure.
Hosting such events often results in skyrocketing accommodation prices, as tens of thousands of participants descend on the host city over a two-week period. In Belém, the issue has been particularly acute this year, with excessive price hikes raising concerns about the participation of poorer nations and civil society members. To tackle the problem, Brazil’s government has arranged cruise ships to provide thousands of additional beds.
De Wever is absent
Although approximately 60 heads of state and government will attend at the invitation of Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever will skip the summit due to domestic budget negotiations. This marks the first absence of Belgium’s leader from such a gathering since COP24 in Katowice in 2018. Last year’s COP29 in Baku saw participation from 75 world leaders.
Notable attendees include French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Chareh. However, US President Donald Trump has announced no high-level American delegates will attend, reflecting his administration’s continued withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, set to be finalised in January 2026. The US government is also actively promoting its climate-sceptic stance and fossil fuel agenda in various international forums.
The two-day Belém summit will launch the “Tropical Forest Forever Facility” (TFFF), an initiative aimed at securing $125 billion in funding for the conservation of tropical forests, with Brazil already committing $1 billion to the fund.
Attendees will also engage in three thematic sessions focused on forests and oceans, the energy transition, and key topics such as the 10th anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, national emission reduction pledges, and international climate finance. President Lula has promised a groundbreaking conference, boldly describing COP30 as “the best of them all”.
