Report: Bárbara Bezerra / COP30 Brasil e Inez Mustafa / COP30 Brasil
Voice-over: Laura Frederico e Nycolas Verlly

Reporter: Indigenous peoples, traditional Communities, Afro-descendants, children, women, and the elderly must be at the center of global decision-making. That is the message of the fifth Letter from the COP30 Presidency, released by Ambassador and COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago to the international community. Hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference in a city within the Amazon rainforest, the letter notes, is a way to ensure leadership for the poorest populations—considered true leaders. These communities are among the most affected by climate change, yet they transform injustice into resilience, said COP30 CEO Ana Toni, who presented the letter.

Ana Toni: We recognize that vulnerable populations are the most exposed to the consequences of climate change, which is one of the greatest drivers of poverty and inequality. It disproportionately impacts those who contributed least to the problem, and these same communities are also at the forefront of climate action.

Reporter: The letter urges the international community to place people at the heart of discussions. It outlines action on four fronts: global mobilization, the formal negotiations of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, the Action Agenda, and the Leaders’ Summit.

Ana Toni: We underscore the central role of people as a cross-cutting priority across all pillars of COP30—including global mobilization, formal negotiations, and the Action Agenda—as well as in shaping the forthcoming Leaders’ Summit. This aligns with priorities articulated by President Lula.

Reporter:  The letter stresses that climate action must be approached as a human endeavor, rather than merely a technological issue. Addressing climate impacts also requires tackling hunger and social inequality, and promoting sustainable development.

Ana Toni: From the perspective of the COP30 Presidency, as stated in the letter, climate action is fundamentally a human endeavor–with all its complexities—rooted in the human right to protection and in human rights themselves.

Reporter: The COP30 Presidency further calls for moving beyond a development model that once promised prosperity but no longer offers hope for the future.

Ana Toni: IIn the letter’s conclusion, we draw from the wisdom of traditional communities to recognize this as a rite of passage—from a development model that, while it brought prosperity to some for many years, has also deepened suffering for the majority, especially the most vulnerable.

Reporter: The fifth Letter from the COP30 Presidency ends with a call for climate action centered on people, not limited to institutions. The full letter is available at cop30.br.