Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced that the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30) in 2025 will be held in Belém, the capital city of the country’s northern Pará state.
The event, expected to attract around 50,000 visitors, including numerous heads of state and diplomatic representatives, is considered the most significant global summit related to climate change.
Lula emphasized the importance of the event in raising awareness about the Amazon region and the necessity of supporting its inhabitants.
He said, “It’s very important to take care of the ecosystem, the biodiversity, and the forest, but it’s also very important that we take care of our people who live in the Amazon.”
At the event, the Governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, and the Minister of Management and Innovation in Public Services, Esther Dweck, signed a contract transferring the Brigadeiro Protásio Oliveira Airport, which has been inactive for several years, to serve as the COP30 headquarters.
The location, which also includes the Parque da Cidade and a nearby convention center, will be assigned for 20 years with an option to renew.
Brazil’s candidacy for hosting COP30 was proposed during COP 27 in November 2022 and has received backing from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (Grulac) and most South American countries.
The final decision is expected at COP28 in Dubai later this year, but organizational efforts are already underway, including environmental projects to enhance transport, sanitation, and urban cleaning in Pará’s capital.
With information from Agencia Brazil