Learn more about the Work Programme and the COP30 Action Agenda. Read here.
Parts of this site were translated using AI. Accuracy may vary.
Learn more about the Work Programme and the COP30 Action Agenda. Read here.
Parts of this site were translated using AI. Accuracy may vary.
Friday, 29 August 2025
In further advancing our Global Mutirão against climate change, the Brazilian incoming Presidency of the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) presents its seventh letter to the international community, this time directed to business and the wider private sector, who are creative and critical forces to addressing the three interconnected priorities the Brazilian incoming Presidency envisions for COP30: (1) reinforcing multilateralism and the climate change regime under the UNFCCC, (2) connecting the climate regime to people’s real lives and to the real economy, and (3) accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Against a background of systemic uncertainty, in which climate urgency interacts with compounding geopolitical and socioeconomic challenges, one trend is certain: the ongoing climate transition is irreversible. Across sectors, several visionary and pioneering leaders have anticipated the radical changes ahead and chosen, for decades now, to take action, initiating a sustainable revolution of many sectors of the economy. As I mentioned in my first letter, those businesses leaders who anticipate the radical changes ahead will be the ones who prosper by building resilience and tapping into the outstanding opportunities the transition ahead offers. Today, I call on all business leaders to join the world in Belém. Be part of the movement by joining the global mobilization towards a more prosperous, resilient and sustainable future.
In less than 75 days, the world will gather in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon in Belém for COP30, a pivotal moment to translate years of climate commitments into real-world implementation. Countries will present their 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), with significant effort having been made to ensure these connect negotiations to practical implementation, become forward-looking instruments that guide development and provide predictability for the private sector. As we approach this critical juncture, the message I wish to convey - together with the COP30 High-Level Champion for Climate Action, Dan Ioschpe – is clear: the time to act with urgency is now. The private sector has already accelerated the transition in many significant ways, however, it must now step forward, not back, increasing its engagement to make this transformation an exponential reality.
Thirty-three years ago, the Rio Earth Summit laid the foundation for international climate cooperation, forging a remarkable structure for climate consensus. Strengthening the regime, the 2015 Paris Agreement united almost 200 nations to show the might of multilateralism. But the impact of our work over the next 30 years will depend on our ability to create the national regulatory, economic and social conditions to make the goals of the Paris Agreement work for people and for business. Beyond negotiating rooms and plenary podiums, COP30 must take a decisive step forward from commitment to implementation, aligning incentives, fostering innovation and to revitalizing public-private collaboration, translating past promises into tangible outcomes to deliver for real people and improve all lives.
Built on three decades of global cooperation, this moment signals not just a diplomatic milestone, but a catalytic business opportunity. Building on previous COPs and the growing involvement of private sector, I believe that COP30 can be the world’s largest marketplace of transformational climate solutions, where businesses - together with other stakeholders - can shape the future global economy.
The climate transition has already created a new world order, reshaping growth, jobs, investment and competitiveness. As the recent United Nations “Seizing the moment of opportunity” report has indicated, clean energy alone has brought over USD 2 trillion of global investments last year alone, after having reached almost 35 million jobs in 2023. In Brazil, the National Treasury, companies, and banks have issued over USD 30 billion in green bonds by 2024 - all at lower interest rates than traditional bonds - while the renewable energy sector has generated more than 1.5 million jobs.
COP30 will serve as the global stage where these transformative trends converge, offering business leaders unparalleled opportunities to be at the forefront of the next economy. To guide private sector engagement in this ongoing revolution, the incoming COP30 Presidency is launching, in parallel with the formal negotiations, a robust and structured Action Agenda, to serve as a blueprint for collective climate action.
The Action Agenda, first launched in Paris, was created to spotlight and scale real-world solutions for mitigation, adaptation, and climate finance, grounded in economic opportunity, technological innovation, and social justice. For COP30, the Action Agenda continues to serve as the implementation engine for scaling sustainable solutions, but we’ve redefined its role through the development of a clear, pragmatic roadmap to accelerate impact.
First, we are prioritizing the implementation of existing commitments, guided by the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake (GST) delivered at COP28. Second, we are mapping and connecting initiatives from previous COPs, many led by the private sector, to identify synergies, close gaps, and unlock opportunities for scale. Third, we are establishing a transparent system to monitor progress, avoid duplication, and drive accountability through measurable results.
The COP30 Action Agenda is structured around six thematic axes and 30 key objectives, from tripling renewable energy capacity and regenerating ecosystems, to building resilient cities and accelerating access to sustainable finance and artificial intelligence. For each objective, a dedicated Activation Group will gather leading initiatives, many from past COPs, to form what we call a "Granary of Solutions", an open platform of scalable, real-world climate actions.
We are also creating Solution Acceleration Plans for each initiative, to identify barriers and define what is needed to unlock their full impact, including policy adjustments, partnerships, or finance. The aim is to move from visibility to viability, ensuring these efforts extend well beyond COP30 into the decade ahead.
To fully realize the potential of the Action Agenda, the COP30 Presidency sees the private sector as a beneficiary of the climate transition, and an indispensable partner in driving its implementation. This means evaluating climate-related risks, adopting credible transition plans, and positioning themselves to engage meaningfully with countries and investors on policy, financing, and delivery. As governments design NDCs that build resilience, drive sustainable development and deliver long-term shared, companies must be prepared to act as co-architects of this transformation and implementers of their intention. It is through this alignment that public-private collaboration can reach the scale and urgency the climate crisis demands.
The private sector’s participation is vital; and the opportunity is historic. Leading organizations such as WBCSD, SBCOP, We Mean Business, ICC, and PRI have long understood this, shaping the global conversation and advancing climate ambition across industries for decades. The transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy is now one of the greatest engines for innovation and growth in history. From clean energy and regenerative agriculture to circular supply chains and nature-based solutions, the frontiers of sustainable business are expanding exponentially - and so is the opportunity. Technology and innovation are being used on such a scale that the cost of the transition is rapidly falling for both the North and in the South.
Importantly, many of the most promising solutions are being created in different parts of the world. Faced with the high cost of foreign technologies and the harshest impacts of climate change, developing countries, for instance, are forging their own climate solutions, with the potential to become global paths, especially due to the strong engagement of the private sector. At COP30, we will showcase these homegrown innovations which could accelerate international cooperation around them, as a key driver of global climate progress.
In Belém, the private sector will have an unprecedented opportunity to lead the world forward with speed and scale. We are calling businesses to attend and engage through solutions, partnerships, investments, and ideas.
The Action Agenda is the platform where policy meets practice. It connects negotiated outcomes to the real economy. It is where we can achieve our global ambitions through local implementation. The agenda is designed to be inclusive, transparent, and actionable, with a digital platform ensuring that the world can see solutions in action and where momentum becomes measurable outcomes.
COP30 marks a turning point for transforming negotiated texts into implementation, from vision to results. Belém will be ready, and the world will be watching. Now we must deliver the progress that we’ve promised. We invite the private sector, CEOs, investors, innovators, entrepreneurs, to join us. Come to Belém, share your solutions, collaborate and contribute. Businesses can show the world what climate leadership looks like.
We recognize that traveling to Belém presents logistical challenges. But this is precisely the moment when the private sector could lead the way, to demonstrate that climate leadership means engaging with the real world. The Amazon is a symbol of planetary urgency and the home to people whose lives embody both the frontline of the climate crisis and the heart of its solutions. Coming to Belém is a chance to roll up your sleeves, to listen, to learn, and to join in the collaborative spirit of the Global Mutirão. These critical conversations must happen not only where it's easy, but where it matters most.
This is where credibility is forged, and where commitment becomes action. COP30 will offer many opportunities for businesses to engage throughout the process, but Belém will be the center point where this global mobilization comes together. It is where momentum will meet meaning. It is where dialogue turns into delivery.
Now is the moment for action, when crisis is met with opportunity. Now is the time we begin to decisively change by choice, together.
André Aranha Correa do Lago
COP30 President Designate
