Belém Leaders’ Summit Yields Declaration by 43 Nations and $5.5 Billion Forest Fund Ahead of COP30

Overview

• The Declaration of Belém on hunger, poverty and people‑centred climate action was endorsed by 43 countries and the European Union, reaffirming broad goals without new binding targets and noting the EU’s reservation against new financial obligations.
• President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urged debt‑swap mechanisms, tripling disbursements from adaptation and related UN funds by 2030, and clear roadmaps to end deforestation and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, while the new Tropical Forests Forever Fund secured about US$5.5 billion in pledges.
• Environmental groups welcomed the renewed focus on fossil fuels but pressed for detailed exit plans and flagged credibility gaps, including criticism of Brazil’s concurrent oil expansion moves.
• A new analysis cited by The Guardian reported 5,350 fossil‑fuel representatives accessing UN climate talks from 2021 to 2024, intensifying transparency concerns even as new sponsor‑disclosure rules do not cover official delegations.
• Organizers expect formal negotiations in Belém from November 10–21 with 143 national delegations confirmed, while many parties still lack updated 2035 targets and the United States is not sending a federal delegation.