Leaders' Summit marks the beginning of COP30 in Belém and highlights Pará's role in the global climate agenda
With concrete results in the environmental area, the state government brings to the conference programs for vegetation recovery, compensation for preservation, and strengthening the forest economy
Governor Helder Barbalho participates this Thursday (06), in Belém (PA), in the Leaders' Summit, which marks the beginning of the political agendas of the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30). The meeting brings together heads of state and representatives of international organizations in the first major act of the conference, which for the first time takes place in the Amazon, gathering global leaders around commitments to face the climate crisis and build a sustainable development agenda. Also present at the meeting is Vice Governor Hana Ghassan, president of the State Committee of COP30, who coordinates the actions of the Government of Pará aimed at organizing and strategizing the event.
Together with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Helder represents the host state and the voice of the Amazon in one of the most symbolic moments in the recent history of climate conferences. The governor highlighted Pará's role as a facilitator of public policies that unite preservation, innovation, and economic growth.
“Everything is ready, COP is starting, and we will participate in the Leaders' Summit. Presidents and global leaders will be in Belém for the next two days to point out solutions and climate ambitions that respond to environmental urgencies. It is the environmental legacy being discussed by leaders from around the world, so that we can make the COP in Belém this great effort for implementation in favor of the population, our peoples, our people, and, of course, the environment,” said the governor.
During the opening of the Summit, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emphasized the symbolic and strategic importance of the conference taking place in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
“COP returns to Brazil at a decisive moment for the planet. The whole world looks at the Amazon not just as a forest, but as a hope. It is here that nature still resists, and it is from here that we need to prove that it is possible to generate development without destruction. This COP is a call to responsibility, solidarity, and action,” said Lula.
Vice Governor Hana Ghassan highlighted that the event projects Pará into a new cycle of sustainable development. “COP30 is a portrait of a Pará that reinvents itself based on sustainability and science. Our mission is to ensure that the legacy of this event translates into permanent policies, real opportunities for the population, and international recognition of the Amazon as a space for climate solutions and for the future,” she stated.
Among the Brazilian authorities present are the President of the Federal Senate, Davi Alcolumbre, and the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta, who are accompanying the first diplomatic meetings of the conference.
The Government of Pará arrives at COP30 with a structured environmental policy and concrete results that reinforce its role as a national reference in sustainability. Among the main initiatives are the State Bioeconomy Plan, which guides the sustainable use of forest resources and the generation of green income; the Native Vegetation Recovery Plan, which sets restoration targets; the REDD+ Jurisdictional System, which creates compensation mechanisms for those who preserve; and the Environmental Responsibility Law, enacted this year, which defines mandatory emission reduction targets and sustainable practices for all productive sectors.
These actions are part of the Amazon Now Plan, the central axis of the state policy aimed at reducing deforestation and transitioning to a low-carbon economy based on the living forest.
Scheduled to take place from November 10 to 21, COP30 will bring together delegations from over 190 countries in Belém, including heads of state and representatives of multilateral organizations. The event has a direct impact on the local economy, with R$ 4.5 billion in investments in works and services that have transformed urban infrastructure and boosted sectors such as tourism and mobility. Pará asserts itself as a strategic territory in decisions about the global climate future.
