COP30: Brazil Calls for Global Unity at Bonn Climate Talks

New Delhi, May 23 (PTI) Ahead of the mid-year UN climate meeting in Bonn next month, Brazil, the host of this year's UN climate conference (COP30), has called on all countries to work together with urgency, empathy and a sense of shared purpose to restore trust in the global climate regime and connect it with real lives.

In a detailed letter to governments, COP30 President Andre Aranha Correa do Lago said the June talks in Bonn must not be reduced to "procrastination and postponement" and should instead help set the stage for bold decisions at COP30 in Belem later in November this year.

“It would be highly displaced if the first formal negotiation space of the year -- the SBs in June -- gave way to procrastination and postponement of decisions,” the letter said.

"Failure to progress... will further erode trust in the continued ability of the multilateral process to deliver the outcomes mankind needs,” it said.

The mid-year UN climate meetings held annually in Bonn, Germany, help countries work out the technical details before the annual UN climate conferences called COP.

Known as subsidiary bodies' sessions, they are important for ironing out draft texts, identifying points of contention and determining political positions. If countries do not make enough progress in Bonn, it becomes much harder to agree on anything at COP.

The Brazilian presidency has outlined three key priorities for Bonn and COP30: reinforcing multilateralism under the UN climate regime, linking climate action to everyday life and speeding up implementation of the Paris Agreement by encouraging action across governments, businesses and communities.

Correa do Lago said that climate decisions must no longer remain abstract. "The true measure of success at SB62 will not lie in tactical manoeuvring, but in our collective ability to communicate meaningful progress to the people we serve," he said in the letter.

Brazil said that at Bonn, special focus will be on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) indicators under the UAE–Belém Work Programme, the UAE Dialogue on implementing the findings of the Global Stocktake (GST), which showed the world is off-track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and the UAE Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) aimed at making the shift away from fossil fuels fair and inclusive.

"Adaptation is the visible face of the global response to climate change and a central pillar for aligning climate action with sustainable development," the COP30 President said, urging countries to submit their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) before COP30.

The Brazilian presidency also stressed the need to empower Indigenous peoples and local communities in climate decision-making.

"They are essential allies in the global response to climate change, drawing from generations of knowledge and stewardship of nature," it said.

The letter made a strong call for negotiators to work in a "task-force mode" and avoid the usual zero-sum conflicts that often paralyse climate talks. "The credibility of our multilateral process is in the hands of negotiators in Bonn," it said.

To help negotiators prepare, Brazil has proposed a "Day Zero" of informal dialogue among heads of delegation -- a day before the official start of the talks -- to build trust and break deadlocks early.

Looking beyond the technical issues, the letter also called for reforming how future COPs are held. "They must not be isolated diplomatic events, but systemic platforms to accelerate delivery, measure progress, and engage a broader ecosystem of actors."

The Bonn climate talks will take place from June 16 to 26.