Plataforma CIPÓ’s delegation attended the COP31 Leaders’ Summit Event on Forests on Wednesday (11) in Antalya, Türkiye. The event took place in the Akdeniz Plenary as part of the COP31 Leaders’ Summit, held on 11 and 12 November. It was co-hosted by Brazil, Guyana, Norway, the Republic of the Congo and the United Kingdom, and focused on financing for the protection of tropical forests.
President Lula attended the event, but had lost his voice and asked João Paulo Capobianco, Brazil’s Minister of State for the Environment and Climate Change, to read his speech. In it, the president argued that the mistaken notion of a contradiction between environmental protection and development must be challenged.
The speech also noted that the world recognizes the importance of forests but is not willing to pay for their protection. That is why initiatives such as the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), launched by Brazil at COP30 in Belém, matter. “With the TFFF, we have already mobilized US$7.8 billion from different international partners,” Lula said in the speech read by Capobianco. The goal is to reach US$10 billion in public capital by the end of 2026. The facility is supported by 66 countries and the European Union.
The president also recalled that, at COP31, Brazil presented the roadmap to halt and reverse deforestation, in both its global and national versions.
New contributions to the TFFF were a highlight of the event. Norway’s Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, said his country is willing to contribute up to 20% of the facility’s target. The Netherlands formally announced an investment of up to US$500 million over ten years.
Other speakers included the President of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz; the Vice President of Guyana; the Prime Minister of the Netherlands; the Presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and of the Republic of the Congo; Indonesia’s Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and Energy; and the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Ed Miliband.
Beyond finance, the event highlighted the Country Packages for Forests, Climate and Nature and the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment (ILTC), endorsed at COP30 to secure the land rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. It also sought to rally international support for the UN Decade of Afforestation and Reforestation for Sustainable Forest Management (2027–2036). The shared goal is to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030.
Global Stocktake and South–South cooperation
CIPÓ’s agenda for the day included two more events. In the morning, CIPÓ and ORF America hosted South–South Partnerships on Clean Energy and Digital Infrastructure at the Climate Cooperation Lounge (DO-32), CIPÓ’s space in the Blue Zone. Mariana Rondon, CIPÓ’s Deputy Executive Director, took part in the debate. It looked at who will supply the power for artificial intelligence and data centers, how clean that power will be and who will benefit. Drawing on the experiences of India, Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia, participants discussed partnership models among Global South countries on clean energy, grid modernization and critical mineral supply chains.
The event was organized by CIPÓ with IDDRI, C2ES, Centro Brasil no Clima, Clima de Política and the Wuppertal Institut. The panel discussed the lessons of the first Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement, which showed that the world remains off track. It also covered the climate governance reforms needed to speed up implementation as the second stocktake gets under way.
