The II Parliamentary Summit on Climate Change and Just Transition of Latin America and the Caribbean opened this Wednesday (6) at the National Congress in Brasília. Bringing together parliamentarians from across the region, the event seeks to strengthen legislative cooperation around a fair energy transition and the implementation of ambitious climate policies in the run-up to COP30, to be held in Belém in November 2025.
In the opening session, Senator Jaques Wagner called on Latin American lawmakers to take a central role in combating the climate crisis. “The focus of this Summit—on climate change and just transition—could not be more appropriate for COP30. We cannot allow the climate agenda to be presented as socially negative,” he stated.
Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, President of COP30, attended the ceremony and received the Charter of Parliamentarians of Latin America and the Caribbean, a document collectively drafted by legislators that brings together proposals to strengthen the role of parliaments in climate action. The charter will be presented throughout the preparations for COP30 and in multilateral forums.
In his remarks, Corrêa do Lago highlighted the three priorities of the Brazilian government for the COP: strengthening multilateralism, translating the conference’s outcomes for society, and expanding solutions beyond formal negotiations.
“Since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, we have advanced in understanding the economic dimension of climate change and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities,” he said.
The ambassador listed initiatives already underway in Brazil to accelerate climate efforts and stressed the importance of the COP30 Action Agenda, which will run in parallel with the official negotiations:
“COP30 will feature a leaders’ summit and more than 350 meetings with business leaders, academia, and civil society. It will allow everyone to contribute meaningfully,” he emphasized, inviting parliamentarians to engage in the process.
Closing the session, Jaques Wagner underscored the urgency of legislative cooperation in the face of the environmental crisis:
“For the social challenges of the modern world, we can offer solidarity. But the environmental crisis, regardless of solidarity, enters each of our homes. This initiative is an attempt, as parliamentarians, to share experiences that can be positive for each country. This collective effort to exchange the best ideas is a fundamental task.”
The Summit is organized by the Parliamentary Observatory on Climate Change and Just Transition of Latin America and the Caribbean (OPCC), an initiative of ECLAC, with support from Plataforma CIPÓ, Instituto Clima e Sociedade, Open Society Foundations (OSF), and Climate Parliament.
The program runs until Thursday (7), with panels on climate justice, financing for the energy transition, regional integration, and multilateral governance.
