World leaders gather for COP30 climate summit in Brazil
World leaders are meeting in Brazil on Thursday and Friday for a summit to kick off the COP30 UN climate conference. Around 60 heads of state are attending, with Bart De Wever among the absentees due to ongoing budget negotiations in Belgium.
The two-day summit in Belém will see the launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, an initiative by the Brazilian presidency that aims to mobilise 125 billion dollars in funding for the preservation of tropical forests. Brazil has already announced that it will contribute 1 billion dollars.
It will also feature sessions on forests and oceans, energy transition, and the 10th anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement and international climate financing.
For the first time since 2018, the Belgian prime minister will not be present, as negotiations on the federal budget continue. With no indication that the government will reach an agreement in the short term, De Wever is due to visit the Palace on Thursday to report to King Philippe.
Among the leaders gathering in Brazil are France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz and the UK’s Keir Starmer. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa will also be present, after the EU reached a last-minute agreement on its climate target for 2040.
Belgium abstained from the vote, citing a lack of guarantees to protect European industry’s competitiveness.
The United States is not sending anyone to Belém. Under Donald Trump, the country has again begun the process of withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement. China, the world's largest emitter, is sending vice premier Din Xuexiang.
"To keep our shared goal in sight, we must recognise diverse national realities and work together to deliver"
After the two-day leaders' summit, the conference proper begins on Monday and runs until 21 November.
“At COP30 this week, we will underline our strong commitment to the Paris Agreement. The global clean transition is ongoing and irreversible. It is our priority to ensure that this transition is fair, inclusive and equitable,” Von der Leyen said.
“In Belém, we will listen to our global partners and discuss the key issues. To keep our shared goal in sight, we must recognise diverse national realities and work together to deliver.”
In the margins of the conference, European leaders will hold meetings with national authorities and representatives from international organisations, civil society and the private sector.
While the leaders’ summit is usually held at the start of the conference, the Brazilian presidency of COP30 has brought the event forward by a few days to ease the pressure on the hotel and logistics infrastructure in Belém, a city at the gateway to the Amazon.
Accommodation prices tend to soar in cities hosting COP conferences, as tens of thousands of participants arrive for two weeks.
The problem has been especially acute in Belém, with prices reaching alarming levels, raising concerns about the participation of poorer nations and civil society. Cruise ships have been mobilised by the Brazilian government to provide thousands of additional beds.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Belém, Brazil, 5 November 2025 © PHOTO RICARDO STUCKERT / BRAZILIAN PRESIDENCY / AFP
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