COP30 Briefing to Member States and International Organizations in Geneva

Good morning everyone, those here with us and those connected,

It’s a real pleasure to welcome you all here today at the World Meteorological Organization the house of weather, climate and water. This briefing is organized together with the Permanent Mission of Brazil and the Brazilian COP Presidency.

We are honoured to have with us COP30 President-designate, Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, and Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes. It is a pleasure to see so many Ambassadors and Missions join us today.

Before giving the floor to Ambassador André, let me share a few thoughts about our work and the path towards COP30:

Science is clear: extreme weather and climate change impacts are worsening. The question before us is not whether we act, but whether we act in time, together, and with the courage required. The cost of action may seem high. The cost of inaction is much higher.

COP30 in Belém will be more than just a climate conference.

The Brazilian Presidency has called COP30 a “Global Mutirão for Sustainability.” In other words, a collective effort and a shared outcome. This spirit of cooperation and responsibility must define our work.  

COP30 aspires to be a turning point, a moment when the world shifts from ambition to implementation. At the heart of this transformation lies science.

Science is our compass. The World Meteorological Organization, as the UN specialized agency on weather, climate and water, stands ready to provide that science. Decision-makers need authoritative information that must guide decisions on mitigation, the clean energy transition, resilience, adaptation, and finance.

Without science, we risk drifting into empty promises. With science, we build the bridge from evidence-based words to action.

Brazil’s vision of COP30 rests on aligning ambition with evidence – a vision WMO shares.

So, allow me to highlight three imperatives for COP30 that place science as the foundation of the Mutirão:

1. Scaling up Systematic Observations and Research. 

To act wisely, we must first observe and measure clearly. That means strengthening our global observation networks - from the melting cryosphere to the rainforests of the Amazon -and ensure that developing countries have equitable access to this knowledge. 

2. Delivering on Adaptation and Early Warnings for All. 

Climate change is already here. Communities cannot wait. We must ensure countries have the tools, and resources to track progress and act. WMO’s Early Warnings for All initiative can make a transformative difference if we have the political will and financial commitment to make it universal by 2027.  

3. Climate finance must flow not only in greater volume but with greater accountability. 

So, what is my call to action? It is simple, but it is urgent.

Let us go to Belém united around science, committed to equity, and determined to translate every promise into measurable progress and effective action.

COP30 must be remembered not as another missed opportunity, but as the moment the world changed course - with the Amazon as its backdrop, with the presidency’s inclusive vision, and with science as our guide.

Let us choose courage over caution, solidarity and cooperation over division, and implementation over delay.§

Let us make COP30 the turning point future generations demand.

And with that, let me close my brief introduction here. I am delighted now to pass the floor to Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, COP30 President-designate, to share his perspectives.

Thank you.

Watch the video: COP30 Belém – Actions and priorities