Home › Highlights › 2025 › Legislative action and regional cooperation on the road to COP30

Legislative action and regional cooperation on the road to COP30

August 8, 2025 | Press Release

With COP30 just months away, Latin America and the Caribbean have a strategic opportunity to present a unified voice on regional priorities in international climate negotiations. Within this context, ParlAmericas participated in the 2nd Parliamentary Summit on Climate Change and Just Transition for Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by the ECLAC Parliamentary Observatory on Climate Change and Just Transition for Latin America and the Caribbean (OPCC) and the Federal Senate and the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil.

Held on August 6-7 at the National Congress in Brasília, the Summit brought together parliamentarians from across the region to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation on climate action and to advance the development of common positions in the lead-up to COP30, which will take place in November in Belém do Pará, Brazil.

During his interventions, Chilean Senator Iván Flores, President of ParlAmericas, called for deeper regional coordination to drive shared solutions that reflect the realities and priorities of the region. He stressed the importance of citizen participation for building inclusive and sustainable responses, and emphasized the need to create spaces for youth, women, Indigenous Peoples, small-scale farmers, and social organizations to contribute their knowledge and experience to climate action.

Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, President of the Senate of Belize and ParlAmericas Board Member, shared her country’s experience within the dialogues, underscoring the importance of integrating stakeholder engagement and just transition principles into national climate plans. She noted that the climate crisis poses a serious threat to jobs, livelihoods, and decent work for millions and warned that women – who are heavily represented in climate-vulnerable sectors such as agriculture – face an even greater risk of exclusion unless a truly inclusive transition is ensured.

As an outcome of the Summit, parliamentarians signed a letter of support for the COP30 Presidency, highlighting that Brazil’s presidency “represents a historic opportunity to amplify the voices of Latin America and the Caribbean in international climate negotiations, strengthening a perspective rooted in the diversity of realities, knowledge, and solutions of the Global South.” They also made progress in drafting a regional joint declaration to be presented at COP30.

The ParlAmericas agenda in Brasília also included bilateral exchanges between Senator Flores and Anabella Zavagno, ParlAmericas’ Deputy Director General, with authorities from the National Congress and other strategic partners to reinforce institutional cooperation in key areas. Among the highlights was a discussion with Nelsinho Trad, President of the Amazon Parliament and of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defence, to strengthen institutional ties between ParlAmericas and the Federal Senate and explore collaboration on strategic issues such as the hemispheric security agenda. Further exchanges took place with Leila Barros, President of the Temporary Subcommittee for Monitoring COP30 Preparations, to discuss parliamentary participation in the conference, and with Silvia Rucks del Bo, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Brazil, to identify strategies to accelerate climate action and strengthen the role of parliaments in developing national frameworks for sustainable development.

ParlAmericas’ participation in the 2nd Parliamentary Summit reaffirms its commitment to strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation in addressing the climate crisis and to advancing a cohesive regional parliamentary voice in multilateral forums. The Summit represented a meaningful step in building consensus to guide parliamentary positions ahead of COP30 and contributing to inclusive, ambitious, and effective climate responses for the future of the region.